Two Machines
by Elchikaah Haly
Summary: When a man unwillingly brought two siblings into a fatal car accident in the woods, one of the first ideas that came upon him was to bring these two back to life via artificial, twisted means. At the same time, Phoenix couldn't help but ponder why Apollo and Trucy were acting a little odd, because behind their great psyche locks must thrive a greater secret. Half AU. Cover by me.
1. Two Siblings

_**Warning**_ _! Spoilers for all AA games, especially AA4 ending._

 _Inspired by a dream and a story by The real assistant called The Living Nightmare (an AA/FNAF crossover), so this is kinda written for her too. The tune that inspires me and that fits through this story is Clockwork Orange by a DJ named RAM because it's awesome melodic trance that shoves creepiness and darkness._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 1: Two Siblings**

 _July 8th 2029, 7:11PM  
Trés Bien, Dinner Room_

Apollo looked inside his thin wallet before he slowly glared back at his menu in his hands.

While the three other members of the agency were happily holding their classy menu with their equally exorbitant items listed on the pages, Apollo deeply sighed again. His index finger slowly traveled its way on the vast choices of meals waiting to be discovered. He tried spotting the one that won't lift too much weight out of his already light wallet. However, his companions did not agree with his subtle and meticulous act.

"Polly, don't be so cheap!" Trucy exclaimed out loud as she not-so-discreetly glanced on the side to see her brother's choice of meal. "You should go wild with your choice since you're the one paying for everyone!"

Apollo's furrowed brows suggested refusal to shift his eyes away from his menu, but he exhibited an urge to bluntly reply his sister. "You're the one forcing the bill on me," he managed to keep his deceitful calm with these straightforward words.

Unfortunately, eyes and ears of his little family pierced his little wall of fake calm. For a second, Apollo never felt so ungrateful of his boss for hiring all with some type of unnatural talents. Thanks to these "powers", no one was able to hide their embarrassing feelings when awkward moments ensued. Probably hearing his heart speaking his discomfiture, his junior partner Athena pointed at him with a quite loud, "Ah-ha! Gotcha! I can feel anger in your heart!"

Unable to keep his stare away from the two girls, Apollo gave up and rested on them an intense, strict scowl. "Don't raise your tone too much, if you don't want to get thrown out of this place," the young man spitted out, trying to tame them down.

As always, his boss sided with the girls with that narcissist smile making its appearance on his oddly satisfied expression. "Stop complaining, kiddo," Mr. Wright nearly ordered. "You won the trial; you pay for everyone. It's one of the longest running traditions in this agency, you know?" When he finished his words, he let a melancholic laugh out. "A tradition from before the agency even bore the name of Wright."

Apollo heard of the previous owner of this agency, active more than a dozen years ago when he was just a small kid. That was when he had learned of the harsh start of the great Phoenix Wright; how he had managed to defend a young girl despite going against powerful higher-ups while he was a simple newbie defense attorney. Ever since he had overheard the outstanding story from his school newspapers, it had become a long lasting dream to be just like his new idol and save innocent people from an undeserved doom. On a side note, he also wished to put his last name into motion by bringing more _justice_ in this world, like any heroes he looked up to.

But right now, what really mattered was that his last client had been acquitted today thanks to his aptitude as lawyer and his little sister's help for assistance. Trucy had especially insisted on siding with him for this case, for a good reason.

After all, the defendant was an old high school friend, Rosaline Latulippe, accused of the murder of her former math teacher, Anna White.

The case had started in utter chaos. By then, Apollo had been used to the chaos that were all of his past cases. He remembered well the loud sobs when Rosaline called Trucy over the phone, requesting her brother's services. Trucy shared her tears over the call before she clutched after him. No wonder, Trucy's and Rosalina's old teacher, Mrs. White, had just been found dead in the wilderness and Rosalina was wrongly arrested for killing her.

Her murder had been quite gruesome, not anything like any cases Apollo had ever worked on. Bruises and knifes cuts had been aggressively inflicted on the body. Only after the long torture, Mrs. White had been dumped alone in the forest few miles away from the city, where her apparent death had finally occurred. The poor woman must have suffered more than enough before her last breath. From what Trucy had related, Mrs. White had been one of her favorite teachers in high school. The very idea of seeing her murdered by another student was just too much to accept, especially when the supposed killer was a past school friend.

In the end, after endless investigations and trials hours of teamwork, Apollo and Trucy had managed to catch the real culprit for the rude killing: Mrs. White's husband. However, even the victim herself hadn't gone to the afterlife unscathed, and that was going with revealing her secrets beyond the grave. The woman might have been a very caring teacher, but she was an awful, manipulative wife. Indeed, no angel was perfect.

Trucy had boasted victory by forcing her brother to pay everyone's dinner in a fancy French restaurant. Her father had felt the need to hide into the deepest hole on Earth when she had called out the name of the restaurant in question. All recollections of that old case with his doppelganger, the girl from an influential criminal family and the truly eccentric cook in this very restaurant had reminded him how horrific and expensive his experience had costed him. Thankfully, the knot in his stomach had immediately loosened when another more experimented chef had welcomed them in the place. New chef came with new marvelous food.

The expensive prices lived on, though. Not that he minded it when his pupil was going to pay.

The girls devoured everything like starving animals and the men did everything to appease their ferocious hunger. Unfortunately, this wasn't helping Apollo's wallet when he felt obligated to order more. Luckily, the feast for victory did not last too long. Trucy ended the dinner when she looked at the time. "Oh no, it's seven already, guys! We should go home already!" the magician yelled out, her mouth sticking out with remnants of her former feast.

Apollo sighed in relief when the girls wouldn't order another fancy dessert.

Maybe this was going to be a short night, after all.

* * *

"You guys are so lucky!" Athena proclaimed before the siblings as they all slowly walked out of the restaurant, their belly tight under their belt. "You're going to Borginia tomorrow morning for two weeks! It must be awesome to visit a new country!"

The bolt of energy seemingly coming back to her, Trucy bounced like a little girl after Athena's words. "I know, right? Polly and I are going to have so much fun! Right, Polly?" Trucy finished her sentence with a curious glance at her older brother, though Apollo did not appear to share her enthusiasm. This prompted the sister to give him a disappointed pout.

"Yeah, you could say so," the young man simply replied, obviously not wishing to add more into a matter that should have a happier aspect to the commoners. Somehow, Apollo felt far from being a simple commoner right now when all his companions were giving him cold frowns.

"You're still angry at her, aren't you?" Mr. Wright clearly claimed with a sad smile.

"At your mother…" he added.

To this, Athena's hands formed into firm fists, slightly shaking from the frustration. "Your mother misses you two, you know?" the junior lawyer asserted. "She wants to give you a tour to the country where she lives! She even let you live in her grand manor there and all you can say is 'Yeah'?! Don't you think your mother suffered enough from her memory lost and from being far away from her two children and even her little boy Machi?"

Watching the others making their advance toward him, Apollo gulped in discomfort. Indeed, when he had learned the existence of his mother and the vague reason she had left him in the care of the state, he was unable to understand the motherly love most of children had experienced. After all, he had not even reached a year old when he was given away! With the years growing under the strict state until he had reached adulthood, at least officially, he had long lost his hope for a family. His love for a parent that didn't exist in his world had long vanished. It was merely too late for him.

To him, being a teen parent, just like his mother was when she bore him, was never a good reason enough to leave a child, especially not after the loss of the father who had supported them. How could she abandon him over the financial crisis of a young adult who was found herself without a job? Couldn't she have brought him to her magician family like she did with his little sister?

"Polly, please, if you can't give Mommy a smile, at least give me a smile then!" Trucy exclaimed, trying to keep her joy going. "Do it for your little sister! Pretty, please?"

Apollo blinked for a moment at Trucy's direction. The puppy eyes she was advertising couldn't be overlooked from his caring heart deeply hidden behind this wall of brotherly harshness. With a small head shake, Apollo shrugged.

"Of course, Truce, I'll try my best," he revealed with his chins up.

"Don't do your best! Just do it!" Trucy cheered on him, now holding his arm tighter between her hands.

Apollo completely gave up his anger when a small laugh shied away from his lips. "I'll do it then, just for you," the older brother declared with a smile.

"You better!" the youngest girl approved his final choice and the two others agreed with her. After all, a sad and angry state of mind would only wreck their vacations with their mother furthermore. A ruined vacation was definitely the last thing Apollo needed.

"You sure you're okay with Apollo, Trucy?" Phoenix questioned his daughter, overwhelmed by sudden paternal instincts. "You don't wanna come back to rest in your old home with your Daddy?" Somehow the question came out a little more wrong when it shouldn't be, prompting a reassuring giggle from the concerned girl.

"Nan, I'll be fine, Daddy!" Trucy responded. "I'm not a little girl anymore! I know you want to see me more often but hey! It's just the right choice to live with my family after all these years living apart and being oblivious of our relation! We need to catch up with the lost time not spent together!"

It was nothing new to any of them. It had been a little more than a year since they had learned about the truth of their blood relation. While the reveal had caused the chaos among the agency, it eventually brought the siblings closer, Trucy being grateful to know that the mother she had adored so much as a kid was still thriving. The story went much sourer for Apollo. He had felt the rage that still somehow lingered to this day against the mother who had left him behind. However, and almost adorably, he cried of happiness to find out that he had at least a blood related one with a bright personality, a younger sibling he could protect and love. While he had possessed no family and when he had just lost the best friend he considered the little brother he never had, instead he earned himself a little sister who had always existed separately from his life.

Being a defense attorney wasn't enough anymore; becoming a big brother would complete his new life goals.

It was shortly after the reveal that Trucy had begged her newfound brother if she could live with him as a now reunited family. At first, Phoenix hadn't been too keen with the idea of seeing his daughter moving out. Yet, Trucy had insisted that Apollo was living much, much closer to the Ivy University she was going to attend. The university was so nearby it would only take her five biking minutes to reach the place from his apartment. She would not only save on transport, but she would have more time for herself. Surprisingly, Apollo did not protest against her suggestion. The concept of living with a family member pleased him to no end since he never enjoyed the feeling before.

When a tiny smirk appeared on Athena's face, the young woman could not avoid a particular comment about Trucy's decision to move out, much to Apollo's shame. "Yeah, and Apollo told me he was really happier about sharing his rents since Trucy's there!"

"Athena! You didn't have to mention that!" the pure horror expressing on Apollo cried out at his junior attorney partner. His face reddened when his glance met his boss's, only to be welcomed by a rather compassionate laugh from him, to his relief.

"No wonder," Phoenix laughed. "My daughter's the golden girl of the agency. Being a magician by night surely comes in handy to save the day."

Indeed, now it had been a little more than a year since Apollo was sharing his apartment with Trucy. The siblings never had any problem so far living together, except for Trucy missing her Daddy in her first days and Apollo's Chords of Steel training each morning. Strangely, sharing house chores was something Trucy would qualify as fun, much to Apollo's contentment.

A month ago, their mother, Thalassa Gramarye, living in Borginia in a marvellous manor since her success as the famous international singer Lamiroir, had acknowledged her children's success with siblings' friendship. She had begged her children to come visit her for two weeks during Trucy's school summer vacation. Because Trucy was thrilled to see her mother again, Apollo had felt obligated to accept her offer, even if his resentment against her would never completely fade away. The date of their departure from the city international airport was scheduled for tomorrow morning, so Trucy insisted of ending their dinner earlier.

"I heard Borginia's a very beautiful country, though it has strict policies, even for tourists!" Athena promoted the country's reputation for remotely differing from many other European countries. "I heard of many things about it when I lived in Europe, and the landscapes are super spectacular!"

"You're also going to Europe the day after tomorrow, Athena, don't you? And for a month, almost!" Trucy enthusiastically uttered. "You should come to join us in Borginia once there!"

"I'd like to, but my foster family over there had already made their plan for my trip, and Borginia isn't part of it!" Athena answered with a deceived sulk.

"Aw shucks!" a disappointed Trucy sighed before shifting back to her excited persona. "At least Polly and I won't be alone there, and you neither! Everyone will be happy of their vacations!"

At this point, someone male cleared his throat. All curious stares darted on the oldest one present. Trucy laughed at her dear father Phoenix Wright. "Well, no vacation for Daddy! He'll still work harder than ever, of course!" she added, and everyone laughed along, including the two men. Of course, Apollo's laugh sounded a little weaker than all others'.

* * *

 _July 8th 2029, 7:32PM  
Baker's Street, Shopping District Area_

On their way pedalling home, Trucy's eyes met an unexpected wonder that would attract her awareness. From the corner of her sight, she caught a small flower shop with an old clerk lady ending her working shift by locking the entrance of her business. To Apollo's embarrassment, he watched as his sister quickly descended from her bike with a scream and with her hands high in the air, waving for the lady's attention. Thanks to her flamboyant move, the clerk finally detracted her glare toward the magician girl.

"Please don't close your shop yet!" Trucy shouted from afar. "I need a bouquet for a _special someone_!"

" _Oh no, what is she thinking?_ " Apollo told himself with a slap on his forehead. Why buying flowers now, and for who exactly? It was not like Trucy had a _special someone_ who deserved a bouquet from her, unless his sister hadn't told him everything, like a hidden relationship with someone... He couldn't think of anyone in her life being a little more special than anyone other than her father, or mother…

The old lady blinked at Trucy for a moment as the young girl approached closer. The woman flashed a smile with a nod, letting the eccentric one enter the shop. That was what Apollo would call a dedicated businesswoman! He decided to wait outside the shop, too much entitled (and stressed) in his deep thoughts that took over his curious mind. Who the hell was the mysterious receiver who will get the bouquet Trucy planned to buy out of the blue? The older brother had, by now, been used to his sister's abrupt changes of mood, but why buying flowers when time was short was beyond his hypothetical answers. They must return home as soon as possible to get themselves prepared for their trip at the very least.

His wish for an answer was soon fulfilled when Trucy emerged from the flower shop with the clerk, her unstoppable grin visibly stuck on her tender, guiltless visage. This time, a new addition made its entry between her hands with a small bouquet of roses in a cutely decorated wrap. Apollo stared at her with a tapping foot, waiting for the answer impatiently as Trucy climbed back on her bike.

"Who's your _special someone_?" Apollo strictly asked, giving an odd emphasis on his last two words, his stern expression plastered on his face.

Surprisingly, Trucy's smile remained unfazed from her big brother's bluntness. "Duh, Mrs. White, silly!" she cried, expecting him to go obvious with the answer.

Trucy was the first to start pedalling, faster than ever. Apollo had a hard time following behind, the poor man struggling to keep up. He pondered why she should be giving flowers to a dead woman late at night. "Huh?! But Trucy, why now!?" he loudly gasped with the question. "Shouldn't we return home to prepare our belongings for our trip tomorrow?"

"But Polly! You don't understand how a girl's mind works!" was Trucy's clear reply until she noticed Apollo's pure confusion on his face. She stopped from her tracks, allowing the young man to catch his breathing. Some tiny tears were added in the lot of her casual, happy expression from which grief slowly arose. "It's just Mrs. White might have been awful with her husband, but she was an awesome teacher. She had inspired so many of us to keep going with our lives! So, she deserves that I, at least, give her a last gift where she had drawn her last breathing!"

Apollo's eyes widened at Trucy's comment. "Wait, don't you mean... to the murder scene?!"

"Of course, where else?!"

The brother nearly lost balance from his bike. "The murder scene is like forty minutes away from here on our bikes, Trucy! And it's starting to get dark! You actually know where the murder scene is, right?"

"Yup! In the forest outside the city! C'mon, Polly, we went there several times to investigate! I'm not dumb!"

A long, deep sigh escaped the man's throat. "You know exactly what I mean," he expelled.

"Yeah, yeah, it's late and we should hurry back home to prepare and sleep for tomorrow morning!" the girl disdain tone announced, but soon it altered to a more pleading feel. "But the police will surely clean the murder scene tomorrow now that everything's solved, so it will be like nothing had ever happened to Mrs. White... It's just... important to me, Polly! It's like her soul's still lonely in the scene, and these flowers... I think these will give her some company and she'll know some people cared for her. She'll probably go away when the scene will be cleaned, but she'll leave happy!"

Attentive to each of his sister's words, Apollo began entering into a more pensive state of mind. The manner she said them sounded a little childish, and yet at the same time, it felt mature. It was in these rare moments he couldn't disagree much with her. His temper suddenly reformed to a far more comprehensive one, much to Trucy's joy.

"All right, let's offer her the flowers," Apollo gave up with a resolute smile.

As expected, the road to the murder scene took about forty minutes. Apollo was glad they hadn't met a single car in the forest, though he would have definitely asked for a better concrete under their wheels. Biking over a path filled with scattered potholes hurt his bottom like mad. He envied Trucy so much because she didn't appear to have been bothered by these holes at all. Sometimes he wondered if her bones and muscles were made of metal or something sturdy for her fierce endurance. Or maybe he was the one getting old. Funnily, whenever he'd blame his age for a disastrous incident or a random dizziness, someone older like Mr. Wright would burst out laughing at him by reminding him that he was still a kid. Since when were twenty-five years old deemed as "kid"?

Apollo watched Trucy quietly dropping off the roses bouquet over the remnants of the white outline that reminded them how Mrs. White's body had been found. The older brother could have sworn he heard her mumbling some kind of prayers. In the end, these were just simple words any grateful student would tell their awesome teachers.

When Trucy concluded her little mantra, she turned to Apollo with a gritty nod. "Let's go back home," she humbly said.

The way back home would have been dull and long if Trucy didn't suddenly cry out loud that, "We'll see who's gonna get home first!" She forced her legs faster, so much Apollo could have heard her rushing young bones creaking. Exhausted, he decided to let her lead the path instead. Besides, it was now almost completely dark above their head. The rare street lamps scattered through the old forest road allowed him to see where exactly Trucy was; that way, he could keep up with her. To his luck, it appeared that sooner than expected, she was already starting to slow down, probably from the fatigue.

Minutes later, when darkness had overtaken the world, sometimes, one of the two would become entirely invisible to the other's eyes as they breached in the blackness of the forest shadow, small areas lacking a street lamp. Apollo guessed these forest roads weren't conceived with nocturnal biking in mind. How inconvenient for them. Right now, he just wanted his full night rest before flying to Borginia, but he realized he might not be able to get much of it tonight.

It didn't help when he heard a crashing metallic sound along with a girly yelp when Trucy hit another black spot of the road. Panicked, Apollo immediately jumped off his bike, feeling the adrenaline rush and fearing about a sister to save from anything that had caused her to fall. "Trucy! Are you okay?!" his Chords of Steel at full volume screamed after her.

When Apollo finally caught up with Trucy, he allowed himself to accustom to the darkness, only to discover a chaotic scene: the wheel of her bike was curved inward like it had rammed into a decent sized pothole. Worse was the view of his little sister, her back on the ground and a bleeding knee held by her two hands. Trucy's stare was glued to her newly open wound, the source of her present misery. Apollo noticed the stinging drops on her lids, but she didn't appear to be crying of pain, really. Shock seemed to be at fault this time.

"Heh, I think I fell down," Trucy mumbled, trying to keep her cool with her glare now adhered toward her brother.

"Trucy, you just didn't fall down, you're hurt!" Apollo replied as he searched for something to cover the bleeding wound. Without thinking, he grabbed the scarf he had kept in his pocket and quickly wrapped it around his sister's knee. "You're feeling better now?" he asked as he gave the finishing touch to the knot.

A pleased grin formed on Trucy's lips. "Yeah, much better! Thank you so much Polly!" she exclaimed.

However, this didn't bring more relief to the young man, especially with Trucy's bike gone defunct and with her having a hard time to even stand on her feet. "Guess I'll call a cab," Apollo sighed. "I wonder if we can even get reception here in th-"

"POLLY WATCH OU-"

Trucy was never able to complete her warning scream when an intense light, followed by a blaring screeching tire sound, sealed both of them in total darkness.

* * *

 _?  
_ _?_

" _T…Tr…Truu..._ "

It hurt the very core of her soul and each fiber of her body. She couldn't grasp her surroundings. Trying to look and hear things around brought her an unbearable pain that caused her to cry weeps out. Lying on the cold, stained ground, the only thing that could appease her immense torture was giving up moving her limbs, thus preventing her from wasting her lingering energy.

However, as soon as a clearer vision came back upon her, the physical agony from each inch inside her felt nothing when her eyes settled on the one in front of her. That was when her emotional surge took over all.

Apollo rested there, his head and arms bathing in his own ocean of blood, with a hand trying to stretch for her. Trucy was unable to stop her uncontrollable whimpers as the lasting life of her brother was slowly leaving what soul remained in him. Despite all, he continuously whispered at her, softly.

"P... Plea... d...don... die..."

Trucy distinctly saw the living hazel eyes completely losing their vigor when his life leisurely charred away from this world.

Apollo, her loving older brother, withered down like a dying flower until he was no more.

...

 _Nonononono... what did I do? Goddamnit..._

She didn't understand. What happened? Who just spoke? It was a male voice, but… Apollo couldn't speak. Dead men don't speak...

 _I-I-I rammed into them... killed... them... Please no... I would never... N-No... I'm not a murderer damnit...!_

"W... Who..." Trucy faintly moaned, the speaking move using up more of her insignificant sparing vitality.

Soon she noticed someone on two feet, gasping in horror. He picked up the barely inaudible lament from Trucy's severely weakened, bloodied lips. From the voice that was stuttering its words and the two legs nervously shifting left and right in front of her, she knew he was an old man...

Wait a moment. Just mere seconds earlier... the screeching tires, the blinding light, the voice saying he _rammed_ into them...

So, in the middle of nowhere, Apollo and Trucy were involved in a car accident…

…As victims.

Her brother was gone forever, and she understood the same merciless fate will fall upon her too, very soon.

Trucy decided it was time to give up as she let her lids shut her diminishing sight.

...

 _No! I can't let that happen! I can't leave both of them here! I'll be eventually found out by investigators if they're found dead here!_

 _What should I do? What should I do?!_

 _You two... Young boy, young girl... I'm so sorry I've killed you, b-but trust me... it was an accident... I never wanted to hurt you..._

 _Don't worry... Don't..._

 _..._

 _Wait...! Guys...!_

 _Hang in here, guys, I'll use my talent! This... is the only way...!_

Everything grew darker. As she lifted away from the burden that her body had become, she listened to the last words from the world of living things.

 _I'll give back your lives!_

* * *

 _ **Author's notes**_ _:_ _Oddest story I've ever written. I've been trying to write the concept of it and I've scrapped it at least four times. Now this feels like a cheap B movie. As always, criticisms are always welcome as I strive to get better in English (while I just leave my main language gathering dust, yay)!_


	2. Two Machines

_Yes, it's my headcanon that Phoenix lives in the Agency to save on rent. He's such a cheap man._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 2: Two Machines**

 _July 10th 2029, 03:37AM  
Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix's Bedroom_

When a buzzing sensation with the Steel Samurai song forced Phoenix wide awake in the middle of the night, the man slowly growled at the new smartphone his daughter had bought him as a gift. She had pretended how a father like him should give youngsters the example by starting to stop being so technology illiterate. Trucy really just wished her friends would stop messing with her because her father still had that old flipping phone with odd chip sounds and no Internet. Somehow, he now regretted the change his daughter had forced on him because he had no clue how to disable the sounds and the loud vibrating feature. Thanks to his failure with technology, he couldn't fully enjoy a wonderful sleeping night in silence.

Maybe his best solution would be simply leaving the phone out of his bedroom each night until his little girl will come back.

A drowsy Phoenix caught the noisy and dazzling phone and fumbled with his stiff fingers, trying to find the "answer" option. His mind suddenly bolted with shock when he realized who was actually calling him at this time of the day, or rather night.

"Thalassa Gramarye..." Phoenix mumbled as his eyes glued on the phone screen, with the ID of his daughter's biological mother flashing. Why was she calling him at night when common sense would tell someone to not bother a friend during their sleep? Well, hopefully he will know in an instant.

"Ph... Phoenix Wright s…s...speaking," the man moaned over the phone after he finally managed to find the way to answer his call.

" _Phoenix..._ " a soothing, melodic but surprisingly sad voice called over the other side of the line. " _I'm... sorry to bother you at this time of the morning... I think it's about five over ther-_ "

"Actually, three and half, Ma'am," the man brutally cut, though he quickly understood how rude he sounded and he shut himself with an awkward cough.

" _Please, Phoenix, this is an important matter. Hear me out._ "

"Sure, shoot away, and... sorry for my rudeness, Mrs. Gramarye..."

" _Thank you. Do you know where Apollo and Trucy are?_ "

…

Phoenix's heartbeat skipped for a second; he wasn't expecting such answer. His lips trembled. "W-What do you mean? Aren't they with you yet?" the man muttered fretfully, nearly dropping the phone from his shivering fingers.

" _I've been waiting for them in the airport. Their plane landed in time but both never came out from it..._ "

This time, Phoenix had to force another cough to avoid a shout from escaping his mouth. "WHAT!?" the attorney still achieved quite loudly. "How's that possible? Both of them are so punctual, so how...? Did they miss their flight or something?"

" _I d-don't know..._ " Now the mother's tone adopted a sobbing mood. " _I-I tried calling them and t-texting them, but I have yet to get a reply. I'm so w-w-worried!_ "

"I'll go check on them," Phoenix ordered himself as he grabbed his wallet and a light jacket. "I'll try giving them a call too."

" _Thank you from the depth of my heart, Phoenix..._ "

When he ended the call, he immediately fidgeted with his phone device, trying to find how to access the contact list. It took him about a minute before he bumped before his list, grateful for having listed Trucy and Apollo just above and below each other respectively. Of course, despite the ascending list by alphabetical order, he had a preference with his daughter above her brother, in his own childish way. His hands shaking with dread from the answer he might get from them, Phoenix let a deep breath in as Trucy's number composed itself and the ringing persisted for several seconds.

Then he heard a click.

...

 _ **Hi, this is Trucy Wright! Leave me a message after the beep!**_

No answer...

He went with Apollo's number soon after…

 _ **Apollo Justice speaking! Please leave me a message after the beep!**_

The story repeated itself. No reply from him either.

No, what did the siblings do this time?

As his backup plan, he went after their home phone number they barely used, but the call transferred itself to their voicemail directly.

 _ **Hi, you've reached Apollo Justice's hom-**_

 _ **Trucy Wright's home too!**_

 _ **Yeah, right. Please leave m... us a message and we'll reply as soon as possible!**_

Even in this tight moments, he chuckled over their voicemail messages. Well, better just do as they said by leaving a message.

"Trucy, Apollo, whenever you hear this message, please call Daddy back... We're sick worried and your mother misses you two. Take care."

Exhaustively setting his palms on his orbits with a long sigh, Phoenix sank deeper into his couch, releasing his phone from his grip. He couldn't believe it. Going to check them home was his last resort and now he'll have to go by himself. A cold shiver travelled down his spine, scared that something horrid might have happened.

Going after his phone again, he called a cab. Thankfully, the road to the siblings' apartment went quickly and smoothly. The man found himself given some time to send few more texting messages to both kids in the meanwhile. As soon as the cab stopped before the two's apartment, he rushed to their door and knocked for an answer he wasn't expecting to occur. Unfortunately, he was right: no one came to open the door for him.

That couldn't be...

What happened to them?

Phoenix was about to crumble and dive into a desperate time when his phone suddenly whirred with a loud notification sound under his pockets. His sudden fastening pulse caused him to awkwardly make the phone fall down several times before he could keep a good grasp onto the device.

His pressure completely melted down when he saw the name of the one who just sent him a texting message.

From _1st Trucy Wright._

 _ **Hey thar daddy, sorry 4 not answering ya earlier butt its late and Polly n I were sleeping and our phones are in silent mode. Hahaha sorry again :( Dont worry about us. We decided on a change off plan just before we went 2 teh airport cuz Pollys still angry at mom, so we decided to go to the new steel samurai resort in the other state instead!**_

Phoenix endlessly blinked his eyes once more and read back the last part of the paragraph.

 _ **so we decided to go to the new steel samurai resort in the other state instead!**_

No way! Did the two really go there?! Did Apollo really hate his mother that much? Did Trucy really agree with Apollo's decision? Phoenix read on the second text that just came in, but this time an anger quickly intensified inside him.

 _ **Its really really really really really fun there! :D:D:D You should go thar one day! XD**_ _ **Plz**_ _ **tell mom were sorry 4 not coming to see her, but Polly n I though it was teh best decision. Take care daddy, i luv u! 3**_

The man wasn't sure if he should let his anger persevere now. Really, he wanted his daughter to experience the fun of living with a family related by blood, like her newfound brother. However, if Apollo had decided to ruin the family by totally ignoring his mother without any kind of warning, then Phoenix would probably prefer Trucy to not get shoved under her brother's influence.

Because this was exactly what had happened.

Luckily, he knew they were alive and well, at least. He could easily breathe now.

While he was going to have a long interesting call with Thalassa explaining the very frustrating situation, he will be able to tell that Trucy and Apollo were still thriving with fun, without their mother, of course.

* * *

 _?  
_ _?_

She woke up.

And suddenly, she was being invaded by a plethora of what appeared like glitching messages, signals and codes. It hurt her soul just trying to toss them aside but the sensation felt so new and overwhelming that it caused her to whine loud and hard. Things very similar to unstoppable headaches and brutal, uncontrollable thoughts were murdering her mind. She found herself unable to think anything rational anymore.

Gritting her teeth and clutching her fingers against the mess that was her hair, she hurriedly shut her eyes trying to ignore all these devastating, chaotic codes that completely filled her remaining thoughts. When she realized her move was completely futile, she wildly shook her head left and right like it could help herself to free from these invasive and savage things. She rammed into the wall endlessly like she was starting to lose her sanity to get rid of her shattered mind. She just wished to wake up in peace from this nightmare of the unknown and deal with nothing else but the emptiness of her consciousness.

 _ **It should be unusual for you to suffer. I will help you, Trucy.**_

When she heard the odd voice, the relief came back to her like a marvel: all the codes and signals unexpectedly stopped rushing through her mind. Without them haunting her anymore, she could finally view her new world around like a normal one. Yet, there were peculiar things around her she had never noticed before. Everything appeared like a gaming interface. Despite being aware of the near total darkness of the area, she somehow managed to distinguish every shapes and everything around via other visual methods she was only now alerted of. She could also pick up new sounds like nothing before, including strange noises she had never sensed.

 _ **You are not completed, Trucy. You should not have woken up yet. You should stay where you are.**_

"Who are you?" the young girl murmured to the speaking voice. Somehow, she instinctively knew the voice was the reason all the ocean of information that had flooded her soul had halted, like it had put an invisible barrier between her and the rest of the world. She was more than grateful for it.

She turned her head around, finally noticing she had been standing in a very dark, odd-looking operating room, completely naked. Weirdly, her instincts ordered her to not be bothered by her total lack of cloth. Beside her stood on its two lower legs a tranquil raccoon, though it was not moving at all and it was intensely staring at her.

When their sights were locked onto each other's, the young girl immediately knew the raccoon was the voice she heard, and it didn't trouble her more than it should.

" _You are scared, Trucy,_ " the furry one told her, never moving its lips.

Her senses indicated the raccoon's voice was a signal between both of them. She soon learned she could also send the same signals to the animal to communicate with it.

" _Trucy? You know my name?_ " the girl spoke to it like they were exchanging their minds, all without opening her mouth once.

The fear in her soul suddenly arose when she realized everything she just did was entirely inhuman. Trucy wanted to cry, but all that came out were some high-pitched whines. Her throat couldn't swallow air anymore to hiccups like a normal human, thus she was unable to cry. Actually, she was not breathing at all. How could that be? No tears escaped either. Wretched tears were ones of the natural features that separated humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. Yet, she didn't look like a non-human animal…

" _I know your name and I know you are sad and that you fear, Trucy,_ " the critter continued.

From the sadness and fear the raccoon kept recapping her, Trucy wanted to shiver, just like a normal one, but her body wouldn't allow her to do so. What was happening to her? She couldn't cry, breathe and tremble. Was she even human anymore?

"Is this... the afterlife?" Trucy muttered with her lips this time, but only silence from the raccoon followed. She burrowed deeper into her memories, only to be reminded of...

The car accident, the voice of the old man, the blood and... her dead brother.

"P-Polly...? Where's Polly!?" her voice gaining volume as she went on and her fear suddenly switched to panic.

" _Stay here. Sleep, Trucy._ "

"No... NO!" Trucy screamed out, aggressively kicking the animal aside like it was the source of her current misery. "Stay away, STAY AWAY!"

She immediately escaped from the wide room, not planning to go in a particular direction. All that mattered now was to find her dear brother in this labyrinth of codes and signals that came back to haunt her soul the farther the animal was. It appeared the invisible barrier the raccoon had put around her was lifted as soon as she distanced herself away from it.

Even with the forceful codes and infinite information torturing her mind once again, she fought them hard to find her way in this unknown place. She blindly carried on running across these dark corridors, confident to find Apollo somewhere, to find him welcoming her with his snarky smile and his usual self, using his so favorite Chords of Steel to call her. She didn't expect to see the gruesome spectacle that presented itself when she reached one of these rooms.

Wires, cables, computing equipment and many mysterious tools were spread across the entire room, with a tall old man working in the middle of the mess, his back facing her. Under the man's grasp, a lying, unconscious naked body was being _worked_ on.

The body was Apollo himself.

As Trucy's eyes widened at the horrific nightmare, she had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. She clearly saw the broad open gap on her brother's stomach, but what caused her to go wild were all the wires and metallic features inside and around him.

What was the tall man doing to her Polly? Had he done the same thing… to her?

Unfortunately, the scream finally escaped her clutch at last, bringing the attention from the man to her. Upon further inspection, the man looked around in his sixties. Not that it mattered much to her right now, but something inside told her this meaningless information or any other features present on that person or anyone else must always be remembered. She couldn't actually tell why it was so important. The old man jolted from the encounter as he noticed the girl few steps behind him.

"You...!" the man stuttered like Trucy's presence was wholly unexpected. "What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be functioning now!"

 _Functioning_...?

Wait, the man's voice... the same voice of the one who rammed into them that night... So that was the killer?

"I'm sorry...!" the man tensely spoke as he grabbed some kind of remote and pointed it at her. "You go back to sleep, girl!"

Trucy didn't have the time to process her thoughts as the man pressed a button on his remote. Everything abruptly came to full darkness.

* * *

 _July 22th 2029, 05:00PM  
?_

… _ **yet, Trucy. Do not wake up yet, Trucy. Do not wake up yet, Trucy. Do not…**_

Trucy flickered her eyes open in a flash, examining her surrounding again and ignoring the repeating message spamming her soul. The darkness that had engulfed her only lasted a millisecond as if she had awakened from a nightmare.

Except she was still stuck in this nightmare in a completely different but still disturbing place.

And not only she was repelled by her surrounding, but her entire naked body was paralyzed by various wires entering inside her and hanging her above the floor. Struck by another state of panic, she attempted at turning her head around, only to find herself not being able to move it at all. Even her dull, unmoving eyes refused to budge as she was utterly stuck watching the same still image before her, unable to blink or curve her sight. She felt like an lifeless doll, with a soul stuck inside this motionless body. Nevertheless, before her, she found her equally naked brother hanged and plugged from all parts of his body by more wires just like she was.

" _Polly…_ " Trucy tried to cry, but she could only manage a weak, invisible thought.

Apollo, however, did not respond, even though his eyes were half-open. Like her, he was not breathing. He was like a dead one, or rather, another inanimate human doll to his entirety.

What did the man do to them…?

Trucy thought of whining her sorrow since she was fully inept at moving any part of her body. When her imaginary sobs went widespread around her, a surprise made its sudden appearance below her brother. She immediately recognized the raccoon from earlier.

Oddly enough, she exhibited reassurance and relief by its presence. Something was telling her this animal was her friend and Apollo's too.

" _Trucy,_ " the raccoon called her again, its impartiality soothing her anger and fright. " _Do not worry. You will be scared no more, trust me._ "

Her uncontainable, invisible whines prompted Trucy to communicate with the little beast with her mind like it was the natural thing to do. At the very least, she couldn't speak right now. " _Polly was supposed to die. I was supposed to die. I just want to die. Why can we not move on? And worse, why can we not move at all? Maybe I will see my real Daddy and Granddaddy soon._ "

" _I understand what you are feeling,_ " the animal responded, but Trucy's anxiety increased with the response.

" _No, no, you do not understand!_ " the young girl attempted to deny the furry one. " _You a_ _r_ _e a raccoon, I am a human! How and why can I understand you?! Why can you understand me?!_ "

She swore the raccoon lowered its head in a sort of shame from the corner of her eyes. " _Trucy. Apollo, you and I are the same._ "

The girl's spirits calmed down but remained perplexed. " _What? I do not understand_ _._ _We cannot be the same…_ "

Then it happened.

Everything suddenly clicked into Trucy's mind, like a lightning bolt struck her to reveal all that was needed to be known. In the cling of few milliseconds, Trucy knew all that had occurred in these recent days. Her attention intensively rested on the raccoon once again, and this time, she experienced sorrow from the animal's core.

" _Your name… is 'Fleur', is it not?_ " Trucy asked.

" _Yes,_ " was all that came out from the raccoon, now known by the name of Fleur.

Trucy would have gulped right now if she was… normal, but she knew normality was not a feature in her anymore. " _I can see through your memories, and I bet you can see mine too, do you, Fleur?_ "

" _Yes._ "

" _Fleur, that is a beautiful name for a girl like you. Now I know everything… Because we are the same,_ _just like_ _you told me_ _._ " Trucy paused for few seconds before she exposed her next statement. " _That man from earlier, the driver who killed us. His name is… is…_ "

Her mind suddenly drew a blank when she was about to say the name, but strangely she was incapable of mentioning it, even within her core. " _Why… Why can I not say his name!?_ " Trucy desperately whined.

" _Apollo and you have been programmed to never mention his name,_ " Fleur revealed. " _As soon as the name comes up, it is instantly replaced with something else._ "

" _Programmed?_ " Trucy gloomily uttered in defeat. " _The man, he is your master. I can see it in your memories._ "

" _Yes._ "

" _So he is planning to make himself our master too, am I right?_ "

" _Yes._ "

A sad inaudible laugh made its way out of Trucy's mind. She sent her next words with something that sounded like a hysterical failure. She was ultimately accepting defeat.

" _I see. So Polly and I_ _, we_ _have been changed into two machines._ "

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: Fleur means "flower" in French. Yes, I'll be in a very flowering mood for this fic. Two of the main reasons I chose a raccoon as the robot animal is because they are adorable and because there are also wild raccoons in Japan (as they were introduced by North American people apparently), meaning it's very possible to casually see them in Japanifornia, my canon setting for the AA universe._


	3. Two New Greater Lives

_Don't ever get a Picross game if you don't want to procrastinate._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 3: Two New Greater Lives**

 _July 22th 2029, 05:08 PM  
?_

" _I see. So Polly and I_ _, we_ _have been changed into two machines._ "

A long silence stalled the moment before Fleur replied.

" _Yes._ "

There was some delirious and hopeless feeling from the new robot girl's answer. " _That is kind of funny, you know?_ " Trucy weakly sent with her signals. " _I thought we were going to die, but here we are, thriving with a new life as two 'mindless' robots. I did not know it was possible for spirits to be stuck into robots. I have heard of artificial intelligence, but I do not feel artificial at all. But I can feel all the metallic parts and wires and stuff inside me. I cannot feel any heartbeat in me anymore... We are neither alive nor dead... We are no longer human..._ "

Suddenly struck by a melancholic perception, Trucy directed her focus over the raccoon as she dug deeper into her memories.

" _You too, Fleur,_ " the girl called. " _You have 'died' in an accident_ _because of_ _bad human children... Before that, when you were a little kit, your mother_ _, your brother and your sister_ _..._ _They_ _were killed in a car accident. That was when the 'man' found you alone and adopted you. Later, you had your own kits, a beautiful boy and a girl_ _. But_ _, poor, poor Fleur, they disappeared without you knowing where they went. Am I right?_ "

" _You have learned to use your new features well, Trucy,_ " Fleur said.

" _Then not long after,_ _some evil_ _human children killed you out of their own fun. The man pitied you and decided to revive you, so he remade you a robot._ "

Another silence followed, but the horror eventually invaded Trucy when she grasped on Fleur's impassibility over being reminded of her tragic memories. It felt like she had entirely lost her emotions because she was now a machine... Unless raccoons never had emotions to begin with…

But she was a raccoon no more, just like Trucy and Apollo were humans no more.

Will they lose their emotions too? Or were their current "emotions" simply simulations attempting to copy human ones?

The sound of footsteps interrupted her chat with the robot raccoon. Trucy didn't even need to think deeper to know who was coming to see them. With her new given set of enhanced vision, she could even detect the visible form of the human while he was behind the door thanks to the warmth levels of his body.

When the door opened, she recognized the physical self of the man who "recreated" them. Within her new artificial features, she automatically plunged deeper into her programs to associate his physical characteristics to a unique ID with many more digital information. Age, gender, height, facial structure, eyes colors…

Just like any robot would do.

Unlike their first official eyes to eyes meeting, the old man appeared much less perturbed and he was holding a cellphone in his hands. His tension from before had almost disappeared from his aura and he slowly approached the two suspended siblings with a devout enthusiasm. Trucy's worried soul attempted to ignore the picture of that sordid man but her paralyzed body state wouldn't allow her to detract her view away. Her instincts, or rather her new _programs_ , were instructing her this man was their superior, a human of power to be feared.

Of course, she refused to comply with her programs.

"You've woken up earlier again, I can listen to what you're thinking with my phone," the old man used his strict voice to give his remark. "You've been a bad girl, you know?"

Trucy's would have urged herself to throw up at the manner he was speaking to her, like she was his simple pet. Of course, she couldn't. Robots couldn't throw up because that aspect was reserved on humans. Even if she could, her body currently disagreed to obey her mind right now.

"But I think I've done you well," he carried on, this time with a prouder smile. The man admiring her and Apollo like two magnificent, fabricated man-made wonders sickened her. "It doesn't matter if you're rebelling against your programs. The next alterations of your programs should solve this as soon as I re-upload them into you two."

Alterations...?

"I've seen your memories when I recreated you. You two are people of justice in your own ways, defending innocent clients as a defense attorney and a defense assistant. You worked together, you investigated together, first as simple co-workers, and then as brother and sister. You share a good family story. I envy you, truly."

In an ingenuous way, Trucy's anger grew when the magician side of her life went ultimately ignored by the man. However, she could detect a faint sadness in the man's heart as soon as the subject of "family" came up. She didn't know why she was able to tell his current emotions. Perhaps another new encoded program in her?

"Don't worry. You'll still be able to give justice to the bad guys with your new lives while keeping your old habits with your same memories. But I'll still have to alter your behavior."

Now falling deeper into hopelessness for being forced to listen to the old man, Trucy wanted to object. " _Why are you doing this?_ " she achieved to communicate with him. She was amazed a synthetic, emotionless voice telling her every words from her signals surged out from the man's phone at the same time.

"What do you think?" The man's reply was harsh and maybe insulting. "If I left your two dead bodies on the road, there's a chance investigation will lead to me. I'll end my miserable life in prison for sure and be deemed as a murderer for the rest of my existence. You are people of the law. You should already know that accidental murders are still murders worthy of a lifetime criminal record, don't you?"

"However, by reviving you as intelligent robots, I'll put you back where you belong like nothing happened. That way, no one will know you've been killed. But of course, you still know the truth. You know you've been killed. You know there's someone behind your changes."

"And that's why I'm obligated to alter your behavior so you'll never mention my existence and your robot nature to others. You'll listen to me when needed so you'll never reveal your secret and mine. You'll be robots living among humans and no one will know about your true nature. You'll be happy and grateful for your new lives. Isn't that great?" He finished his reveal with a softer and euphoric voice.

Trucy tried to force herself a crying hiccup, but right now, she was a mere conscious, inanimate doll, a simple object part of the surrounding that no one should care about. Common senses knew dolls and objects couldn't move by themselves, unless manipulated by someone alive. She already lost part of her humanity and she didn't want to sink deeper into an artificial life. Becoming more of a machine than a human through and through just became her biggest nightmare. " _Please, just give us back our lives,_ " she succeeded to beg. " _I swear Polly and I will say nothing of what you did... Let us keep what little humanity is left in us... Please, I miss Daddy, Mommy, Polly, everyone..._ "

The man's expression suddenly diverged into a more comprehensive one. He started giving soft pats on Trucy's chin to reassure her, but it instead gave her the opposite effect as she internally struggled to ignore his disgusting contact. "Hey, it's okay!" he gently exclaimed. "You'll be able to keep your brother at the very least. You'll be in together. You'll have nothing to worry about. And you'll see all your friends and family again!"

And to this, he sat down before a computer which appeared to be the main heart of all these floods of cables that connected through both robot siblings. He started typing until he hit his last key with a strange determination.

All around Trucy flashed into full darkness once again.

...

Her unconsciousness only lasted a fraction of a second.

The man carefully observed his two creations as their eyes and bodies were filled with life once again. They both started thriving like two unborn pushing forward their new world of living. Eccentric, erratic movements came upon the siblings' limbs and entire body as they adjusted themselves to their surroundings. Blinking uncontrollably, they soon witnessed the sole breathing being in front of them and their stares were locked onto him. They both appeased down after a minute, feeling and listening to the soothing, yet thrilling calm emanating from the old man's heart. They perceived his emotions, clear as a serene, sparkling lake.

Confusion fading away from themselves the more they gazed at the man, they warmly smiled at him, their programs conditioning them to trust and love the image of that specific human with a very special assigned ID in their system: their new master.

"Welcome to your new greater lives, **Trucy** Wright and **Apollo** Justice!" their master addressed his two creations with open arms, abnormally putting a twisted resolve into calling their first names.

Instinctively, hearing their names pronounced by that man's specific voice triggered them to give in into complete obedience. Their eyes shined bright red and their gentle smiles lingered on. They, too, wanted to please the man by greeting him in unison with the name he had programmed into them.

"Good afternoon, _Papa_."

Their synchronized voices were barren of life.

From the corner of the room, Fleur sank her head low, her soul crying for the siblings' sealed, everlasting fate.

* * *

 _July 23th 2029, 09:14 AM  
Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"Mrs. Gramarye, are you sure it's a good idea to see your children like that?"

Here Phoenix was, in front of the radiant singer commonly known as Lamiroir, dealing with her as she sat nervously on the couch, tapping her feet continuously like she was awaiting her first job interview. Well, in a way, she really was expecting some kind of interview, with her own children no less.

After all, they were supposed to make a comeback from their little trip this morning, apparently.

"I am ready to see them," the woman commented. "We've been through worse, Phoenix. I've even cancel my tour just to see them. There's no going back..."

Pensive, Phoenix gently stroked his light bearded chin. In fact, these last two weeks had been nothing but chaos for the two "separate" parents. "I understand, but I'm worried of their response from seeing you, particularly from your son Apollo," the man expressed. "He can be very nasty when he's upset. You've heard what happened a year and half ago when his best friend was murdered?"

"I'm not that ignorant," the woman talked back, slightly upsetting herself. "But... Apollo's my son, and Trucy's my daughter..."

" _Our_ daughter," Phoenix asserted.

The past few days had been constant arguing contests like the two were an old couple. Thalassa had insisted on coming from Borginia to receive an explanation from her children for their last minute change of plan. Anyone with common sense could tell that the kids' decision to not see their mother was just plain rude and insolent. Both parents had known about Apollo's persistent bitterness toward his mother for leaving him in the care of the state as a baby. Nevertheless, he had already allowed her back in his life by accepting to invite her sometimes and let himself get an invitation from her. After all, DNA never lied about true blood relation, and Lamiroir, aka Thalassa Gramarye, was his sole mother, whenever he liked it or not.

At first, Phoenix had refused to see her deal with the kids for their choices because the poor woman didn't need any more stress in her life after all she had endured. That was counting her father's strictness over his entire family and especially his daughter, her first husband's death which forced her to give up her son, her forced performances among the family troupe, the love triangle with Shadi and Valant, her staged "death" by her own father no less, her loss of her sight and memory, Machi's case... He would go on for a while but the list was already too long.

Her children's "betrayal" should be the least of her concerns. Phoenix vowed to deal with them alone, but the mother was simply too stubborn. She went as far as to take the decision to cancel her Borginian singing tour to simply meet her children face-to-face.

In a funny way, both Trucy and Apollo had inherited of her stubbornness without knowing.

With each news about their "fun" trip to the Steel Samurai resort, all posted by Trucy on her social media page, Phoenix's resentment arose, but Thalassa's regrets amplified instead. According to their daughter's last post, her brother and she should be coming to work a little late today.

And for this, the man felt grateful Athena still had no idea of the whole mess and that she was away with her travel in Europe. Not that he didn't need anymore individual implied in this strange situation, especially not one scanning his emotions constantly. As if he'd deal with several heart therapies each day…

Speaking of Trucy's posts, something peculiar had an effect on him. All pictures she had taken of their trip so far featured neither Apollo nor her. Phoenix had known his daughter to enjoy taking selfies of herself like any eighteen years old girls. To see none of her presence in them made him wonder if there was something up with the siblings. Well, technically, he was completely sure something was up, because no sane human would have done what they had just done these last two weeks.

 _Daddy! We're_ _back_ _!_

Both parents nearly jumped from their seat at the blasting voice and the sudden noise of the bursting, opening door. The two turned to the loud sounds, only to find one of the main centers of their chatting from the latest days, standing at the entrance and seemingly beaming with joy.

Trucy made a determined step inside the agency, arms open and up in the air like she would always introduce herself in her magic shows. A final touch was added in her act since she was wearing her usual magician outfit. After she introduced herself, she immediately rushed to her father, engulfing the man between her arms to hug him.

Yet Phoenix didn't really return the gesture, but the little girl didn't appear to mind his inaction much.

However, her arms struck to him as a little stronger than usual. Phoenix felt a short pain as Trucy's limbs pressed against his body a tiny bit harder.

When Trucy finally released her father from her grasp, it was the other kid's turn to prompt an entrance in the agency. Apollo stood there, ostensibly knocked by hesitation before he made the first step in. He looked up to his boss, his head scratching the back of his neck out of shyness.

"Good morning, Mr. Wright..." the young man greeted with what resembled a shameful tone.

Well, Apollo had never been too good at hiding his feelings. Obviously, the older brother, being the much less oblivious of the Gramarye kids, knew what was coming if they came to work today... His boss wasn't going to go all happy, happy, joy, joy with either him or his sister for their change of plan to not see their mother.

Unfortunately, Phoenix was taking too much time to reply their greetings. Before he could even start to open his mouth, his student's voice interrupted his soon-to-come speech.

"Mother?" Apollo called as Trucy and he finally noticed the older woman's presence on the couch. Suddenly the boy's tone took an angrier approach. "What are you doing here?"

As the mother discerned the cold aura her two children pushed against hers, Thalassa watched as her courage quickly faded away, losing the daring to confront them on her own. Noticing the woman's discouragement, Phoenix sighed. He knew it was a waste of time for her to come in this country. He had to be the one to intervene with the kids.

"Apollo, Trucy, we need to talk," Phoenix used his blunt voice to speak, and both siblings turned to him, ready to listen.

"What do you wanna talk about?" Trucy asked, her finger taping her chin in wonder. Really, Trucy, how clueless could she really be?

"Your trip and your reason behind your change of plan," the father answered, his arms crossed over his chest. "Tell me why you went to the resort instead of visiting your mother."

"Duh, we went to the resort to have fun! Do you agree, Polly?" the young girl happily exclaimed.

Phoenix didn't even have the time to listen to his daughter's full reply when a dark aura engulfed the atmosphere around her. Sadly, he knew he was the only one in this room to witness what appeared to be five red psyche locks over her soul. This actually caused him to take a step away, his orbits trying to hide the horror he was experiencing.

He knew psyche locks always hid potential great secrets. His Magatama wouldn't work on frivolous lies.

Was Trucy lying? Was she hiding something grand?

"Couldn't say it was fun," Apollo replied to his sister with an unsure shrug. "However, we changed our plan because we felt it was the right thing to do. We needed to enjoy our vacations alone, without our mother in our way. That's why I thought of the new Steel Samurai resort in the other state. Trucy had always wanted to go there and it was the better moment."

Once again, Phoenix didn't fully listen to his protégé's story, because five more red psyche locks came over him too.

...

Trucy stared at her father with concerned eyes. "What's the matter, Daddy? You don't look well..."

Phoenix shook his head. He had to get a hold of himself and deal with the siblings until the end. However, his strategy took another turn when his stare wandered around until they found themselves looking at the crying mother on the couch. Both siblings observed her with a pitied sulk.

That was when Phoenix decided that Thalassa will be the one who will have to deal with this mess from now on.

"I'm sorry I have caused you both to suffer," the mother expressed, biting her lips as she gathered back her courage to speak. "I understand and it's my fault your lives had been hell. I should have been a better mother. It's okay if you don't... want to see me anymore. Besides, I think Borginia would have bored you..."

The siblings watched as their mother's visage sank deeper into her hands to let more sobs out. Trucy gulped with guilt and slowly approached her with a pat on her back. Sniffling a last time, Thalassa glared back at her daughter, hoping for the best outcome.

Her wish was granted.

A warm smile formed on her daughter's lips, a smile that would soothe her emotional outbursts, a smile that meant thousands relieving words. Many of these words told that Trucy still loved her Mommy like no one else.

"It's okay, Mom," Trucy softly mustered, giving more calming pats. "We're here, alive and well!"

It was a tingling feeling that she hadn't endured for as long as she could remember, ruining the reassuring moment she had so much coveted.

Her bracelet tightened around her wrist, right when Trucy mentioned about being "alive".

Luckily, on the contrary to her son, Thalassa would not instinctively grab her wrist with her other hand whenever this happened. Thanks to it, no one would know when she was perceiving tension from others. Now still, she suddenly found herself overwhelmed by strange thoughts. Why would Trucy tense when she mentioned the very words of "alive and well"? Both her children were definitely alive, though she couldn't say that Apollo was quite well.

Perhaps were they... sad?

Speaking of her son, the young man still had his fists down in slight frustration. Yet, when he observed his sister giving their mother a hug, his fingers finally spread away from each other. He looked to the ground, head low from his immoral trip decision in mind and he scratched the back of his head. He watched the two girls, a coy smile emerging from his lips.

"I'm… sorry, Mother…" Apollo murmured, avoiding a direct stare with his parent. "I know the change of plan was my fault, but-"

"No, it's all right, Apollo," Thalassa gently cut him. "I understand, and I'm glad you have enjoyed your trip to the resort. You deserve to have fun too. Besides, I think we can still make up for our lost time another moment. So many surprises in our lives awaited us ahead, so I'll give you more time to mend the wound in your heart."

Thalassa's sobs had momently died but her tears pressed on escaping her orbits. She couldn't control her body as she slowly walked toward Apollo, her dear son, flesh and blood. Her arms tenderly found their way around his neck. The young man gulped with a slight embarrassment, now looking at Trucy who giggled behind their back.

Apollo returned the hug with an ardent smile.

"All right, then," he declared as both freed from the other, his palms still on his mother's shoulders. "I promise we'll do something together this week as a family, now that you're with us. How does that sound?"

The mother's lips trembled at her son's words. She couldn't avoid her little sympathetic and overjoyed grin. "I would be so much honored…" she proclaimed with a louder but cheerier whine.

In the end, when the entire family returned to another warm hug, Phoenix was unable to feel any frustration towards the children anymore. Maybe calming others' souls was part of the Gramarye's magic too…

 _ **I remember now. I remember how it is to feel love and to be loved. It is good. Do you think so, Trucy?**_

The siblings didn't even need to look at each other to speak with the other; they didn't need to move their lips and let sounds escape their throat either. All they needed was their new and more convenient encrypted signals system.

 _ **Yes, Polly. I feel love and I am loved too. It is wonderful.**_

* * *

Thalassa's departure was a slow and cute process. It started when she had decided to return to her hotel, with Phoenix and her children insisting for her to stay. Nevertheless, she'd rather give them some distance so the three will be able to mind their business for the rest of the day. After long minutes of arguing, her children had finally agreed to let her go. Funnily, Trucy had stayed quite a long time at the entrance when Thalassa had walked away, waving her good bye and waiting until the mother completely disappeared from her view. Her mother childishly took peeks behind her from times to times to see if her daughter was still watching and waving. She was. They had kept waving back at each other until they couldn't see the other at all. How kiddy and adorable...

It was about time for Trucy to scatter her magic props back in the agency. Soon, her objects dispersed all around. This brought a chin up on Phoenix as he found himself back in his usual messy agency, just like the old times. Apollo, as always, did his best to clean behind his sister, but she was proven too fast for him.

"So, how were the last two weeks for you, Mr. Wright?" Apollo asked his boss, finding himself with nothing to do right after giving up following Trucy.

Phoenix let a soft laugh emerge. "Nothing much," the older man replied with a low smirk. "I've had about three small cases, though none of them were murders. Only larceny and suing cases. The boring stuff, you know?"

"Nothing's ever boring," the protégé calmly expressed with a grin, though his voice eventually shifted to a more serene tone. "You know, human beings can get very sad when they get their things stolen, or when someone bullies them. Sadness is what makes you human and that's why people need lawyers like us to help them bring justice."

…

A silence reigned for few seconds between the two.

"…What?" Phoenix mumbled, blinking fast and mind shocked. He was going to give a chunkier objection, but no other words could be formed. It really was NOT the boy's type to speak how he just did.

"You look confused," Apollo remarked, watching his boss with a creepy, innocent stare. "You might be tired. You should give me some work while you rest."

The boss coughed few times before he answered with his typical satirical facet. "How about the usual work? The toilet's been in a mess since you two were gone and… yeah, you clean the toilet, Apollo. That's an order."

Phoenix expected an upset frown coming from his pupil, but he nearly shivered with cold, rushing goosebumps when he found a radiant smile on him instead.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Wright! I'll work right away!" the young man cried with happiness, his Chords of Steel in effect.

The ace attorney glared at his student as he hurried to the bathroom. The boy looked so happy he was humming the Steel Samurai song. Either something had completely changed him over the two weeks spent in the resort, or it was not Apollo standing in this agency. Perhaps he was relieved that he had finally found peace in the tension between him and his mother. Now Phoenix was curious. He reminded himself to ask the boy the reason of his delight, but it was Apollo's own family matter. Maybe it was best Phoenix left it at that.

Yes, Trucy enjoying her magical practices and her summer studies became a normality through the years. However, happiness never, ever, came upon Apollo whenever he was asked to clean the toilet, the rest of the bathroom or even the rest of anything. A pro lawyer like him shouldn't spend most of his shifts doing cleaning, but at least he was getting paid.

After all, they worked at the Wright **Anything** Agency. Anything like a miracle could happen, such as Apollo happy to clean toilets.

At most, he was telling himself that there was finally someone to clean the toilet now that two other members of the agency were back. No matter what happened, he will appreciate everyone's company.

It was later that day, near the end of the working shift, when another stranger event occurred.

To celebrate the siblings' comeback from their trip and their "reunion" with their mother, Phoenix gathered the younger ones, letting them out of their work for few minutes.

"All right, kids, we need to do something," Phoenix told them, his folding arms giving out his strict allure.

Nevertheless, the siblings seemed unaffected by the man's strictness. "What is it, Daddy?" Trucy asked, her curious stare giving a discomfort to her father.

The man's smile lived on with his reply. "We should go out for dinner in another fancy restaurant tonight," Phoenix replied with a laugh. "Your mother and I thought this will be our first step to get all of us together."

...

A very quiet discomfort took place in the room. Still waiting for an answer, Phoenix gently cleared his throat, trying to gain some kind of attention from the siblings who were simply blankly glaring at him without any words. Creeped out by their frightening inaction, Phoenix couldn't really meet them in their eyes directly out of awkwardness. "Huh, are you coming?" the older one asked, clumsily.

Luckily, one of them decided to speak out. "We're tight with our spending," Apollo declared with a sigh.

"I knew you'd say that," Phoenix answered. "But your mother will pay for everything. You know your mother's a bit… more financially fortunate than all of us reunited, don't you? So you're coming, right?"

"Nan, it's all right!" Trucy exclaimed with a jump. "Polly said he was planning to do something for dinner, but… only for the two of us… We weren't expecting you to invite us and… well, we don't want these preparations to go to waste!"

A snort escaped the father.

Was Trucy refusing... free food?

Well, in a way, it was almost understandable for Trucy to prefer her brother's food over any restaurant food, because it was true, Apollo's cooking skills were quite great (though he would hardly admit it publicly because… it was Apollo). But then, as he was about to think how rude the two were to refuse their invitation, he suddenly remembered Thalassa's words to her son.

 _I'll give you more time to mend the wound in your heart._

And for her sake, Phoenix accepted their excuse.

However, Phoenix couldn't help but wonder: had something happened to the siblings for their change of mood?

That thought would haunt his entire night, giving him a very unstable sleep.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes**_ _: It's in my headcanon that Thalassa cannot use her perceive power anymore since she lost her sight once_ _and that her sight after the operation is not as good as before, but_ _that her bracelet still reacts to tics. She just can't bug her eyes out like Apollo does._ _Also bonus point for noticing the very tiny Ren and Stimpy reference._


	4. Two Vigilantes

_This chapter is exactly why I told_ _ **THE real assistant**_ _that her fic inspired me to write this. If you have read her story called_ _ **The Living Nightmare**_ _, you'll see why. The similarities are uncanny._

 _Requiem by Mozart (all the movements together) kind of inspired me for this chapter. Try reading this chapter while listening to it!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 4: Two Vigilantes**

 _July 23th 2029, 08:38 PM  
The Siblings' Apartment, Entrance_

 _ **I have been waiting for you, Apollo and Trucy.**_

The pressure of their day earlier suddenly lifted off when they were welcomed by their new furry friend Fleur. Leaning over the little machine beast after carefully closing the door behind them, they warmly smiled at her.

" _Good evening, Fleur,_ " the two robotic humans greeted back together, using the easier way to communicate with their encrypted signals.

" _How was your day?_ " the raccoon asked them.

" _It was good,_ " Trucy responded. " _We met Mommy and Daddy. Mommy was sad, but she forgave us for not going to see her in Borginia._ "

" _Everything went according to the plan of Papa,_ " Apollo added. " _Mother has accepted our lies, but it has been more troublesome for Mr. Wright to accept._ "

" _Does he suspect your true nature?_ " Fleur asked.

" _No, I can tell Daddy does not know._ "

" _That is good. No human other than your Papa must know your true nature._ "

" _Why?_ "

Fleur momentously stopped communicating at the question they asked at the same time. She stared at the siblings for few seconds, fully motionless until she quickly hopped on the couch, trailing her sight to the window. Apollo and Trucy watched her with curious eyes, wondering what the critter was thinking. Unfortunately for them, it appeared Fleur had the ability to block her thoughts from being read, even if their minds were linked.

" _Simply do not do it. Do not question the choice of your Papa,_ " Fleur finally revealed, opening the link once again.

" _We will not,_ " the siblings answered together, rising back on their feet. They looked toward where Fleur was looking. She was still staring emptily without having any kind of thoughts. They observed the sun directly to the core as it disappeared behind the hills far away from the city.

Tossing aside the fact that staring directly at the sun would have heavily damaged their eyes if they had remained humans, natural _beauty_ raced through their lightly hazed mind with the image of the sky. They were contemplating the scene like a first time, as if they were rediscovering what made the world _beautiful_ and _ugly_.

They were glad their "Papa" had given them back their lives so they could enjoy the magnificent sunset once again. Maybe everyday, _forever_.

Yet, Fleur didn't seem impressed by that " _natural beauty_ " that was offering itself to them like a wonderful spectacle. Maybe her raccoon nature didn't care for anything beautiful at all, nor that she could distinguish what was _beautiful_ and what was _ugly_. Perhaps that was a feature reserved for humans, or past humans like they were.

" _Your Papa had not told you about your true mission yet,_ " Fleur changed the subject.

The two human machines returned their glance at the little furry, slightly astounded. " _Did_ _Papa give us a mission other than showing humans that we are alive?_ " Trucy asked.

" _He did. I will tell you what. You deserve to know._ "

The siblings sat down on the couch, curiosity taking over them as they couldn't wait to learn what their friend had to tell them.

" _Your Papa had redone you to give justice to evil humans._ "

" _We do that already,_ " Apollo answered with a soft audible laugh.

" _Yes, but this will be a different kind of justice._ "

Another silence followed.

" _You are programmed to delete evil humans at night._ "

…

They froze, having an evident presumption of what she had meant by the word "delete".

" _You are programmed so you know which humans are deemed as evil. However, your Papa can send you the names of your prey if he wishes to. He granted you a much greater strength so you can fulfill your missions easily._ "

Apollo spoke back. " _Why?_ "

The question prompted a longer silence this time. " _This is the wish of your Papa,"_ the raccoon explained, but obviously she had no knowledge of the reason behind this murdering ideal. _"Rest assured he will not order you to delete a random human. He wants you to delete evil humans only, the evil humans that roam in the human society freely. Because evil humans deserve death. Rest assured you cannot leave any DNA trace or fingerprints in the murder scenes because your DNA and fingerprints have been discarded off you in the process of remaking you. You will not be caught by the forensic law._ "

It was Trucy's turn. "W-Why?"

The first time since her rebirth into a machine, a cold rush ran through Fleur's spine, an unnatural feeling in her life as a metallic wonder. It might not be the same experience when she had been flesh and bones, but it earned the same startling effect. Trucy had just spoken with her physical voice, and Fleur immediately detected a certain unwillingness in her word. Robots weren't supposed to hesitate on their state of minds. Unless... they were to keep their former soul, perhaps?

" _Do not question the choice of your Papa,_ " the racoon suggested in a monotonous manner. " _He can remove more of your free will and-"_

"Why? Whywhywhywhywhy-" Trucy mindlessly repeated louder, clutching her head hard between her hands as if insanity had taken over her programs, like a bug glitching through her entire self. Her orbits wide open tried to cry, to produce tears, but none came out. She shook her head left and right aimlessly, her mouth letting out excruciating, non-human whines because she wanted to sob, to feel more human, but she couldn't. She wanted to deepen her new solid, unbreakable nails into her skull to feel the same pain of her old pleasant life as a mortal human, but she couldn't sense any pain.

Her programs kept up reminding robots like her couldn't think of their own, couldn't question their surroundings and couldn't understand real emotions within themselves. Everything her brother and she did was part of the artificial intelligence that had been coded into them and nothing else. Their souls, their lives, none of these were real, like their former past was a part of an imaginary fairy tale.

It was all part of their Papa's genius.

Their _Papa_ , their Master to fear and to obey.

Fear, maybe that was what she was undergoing, but it wasn't the fear of their creator.

It was the fear of losing their lingering humanity which was still allowing them to think, to question and to understand their own emotions.

"Nononono!" the young robot girl cried with a whimper. "W-Why is Papa doing all of this? What did we do to deserve this? We don't want to k-kill; we don't want to be his puppets! Polly and I, we just want to live normally again… We just want to not lie anymore… We just want to… to…"

Trembling from her every limb, Trucy gathered her courage to look up, to glare at her brother with her dry eyes full of despair, to see if he was sharing her thoughts.

He was not.

The only data she could process from him was emptiness, like a simple machine created to fear and to obey.

"Polly…" Trucy desperately called him, begging for an answer. "Please tell me… please tell me you're still here…"

Like the miracle that had come from another world…

A sorrowful smile appeared on Apollo, a genuine, humane smile to soothe the conquered soul of his little sister, one that would appease all irrationality. He gently bent over her, giving a mild stroke on her hair.

"Truce…" the older brother gave a reassuring whisper, but she discerned his fierce struggle against the programs that were trying to condition him completely. "I'm still here… It's just… I… I might be sealed… deeper… than you... I don't know…"

A sudden squeal left out the sister's mouth. "Polly!" she cried, ramming into him deeper, firmly gripping to him with her arms around his body. Her brother returned the gesture. "I don't want to be a killing machine!"

 _ **Trucy**_ , _**Apollo**_.

All at once, their arms released each other and completely gave up their own control when they perceived a voice calling them. Their programs were forcing them to stand straight, to find the voice's origin, their now diminished free will clouded by the codes that had been deeply implemented in them during their re-creation.

They recognized their Papa's voice, though he was nowhere around.

They both instinctively knew that when their Papa called them by their first name, their ears will listen and their self-control must be suppressed off them. They must obey.

Their eyes shined red at the voice, though a tiny part of their remaining free souls wondered where the voice came from. When their bright, blank sight locked on their furry friend, her eyes were shining red too.

A hidden speaker spoke through her.

" _ **Trucy**_ _, come close to Fleur,_ " the voice said.

Trucy submitted herself to the order.

" _You have been acting very badly, you know?_ "

Trucy answered; no emotion in her response. "I am sorry, Papa."

" _That's a great now. Listen up! Fleur had already told you about your mission, so there's no need for me to be repeating. You will have a specific target tonight, and-"_

"No."

The man to the other side of the speaker snorted at the reply. " _W-What?_ "

"No, we… will not… del… delet… k-kill…"

A laugh blasted from the speaker. " _ **Trucy**_ _."_ The name forced her to stiffen once again, causing her to willingly await any orders and words from the man. _"You're under no circumstance to disobey me. Do you know why?_ "

"No, Papa."

" _Because,_ _ **Trucy**_ _, if you try to struggle too much against my will, I will order you to hunt your very dear Daddy and your Mommy._ _You've felt it yourself. When I call you by your names, you're programmed to enter into an absolute state of obedience, meaning you'll do as I say._ _ **Trucy**_ _,_ _ **Apollo**_ _, if you want your Daddy and Mommy alive, then you'll follow what you're told._ "

That was when Trucy made her decision. Raising her eyes toward her brother, she read his thoughts, and they were filled with nothing; nothing but the need to surrender their souls for their Papa, for the sake of Mr. Wright, for the sake of their mother. A thrilling, pleasant need to save their parents from a deadly fate overtook them as both shared their data together, exchanging their artificial emotions that had been programmed into them.

Both now looked at the possessed Fleur and their eyes glowed red once again, now letting themselves fully controlled by their fearful creator and their powerful codes. They smirked as they awaited a name of the prey their Papa wished to be deleted. After all, Papa wanted justice in this world, so their prey must be an evil human too, a free one who did not deserve to live.

" _You're doing great!_ " the man praised on them. " _When midnight will hit your internal clock, you will lose control of yourselves as you will entirely submit to your programs. You will run after one human or a group of humans you will deem as evil. You'll gain back your self-control at four in the morning, so I'm giving you plenty of time to do your things. I want you to make them suffer before they die, to give them a taste of their own medicine."_

" _To mark your first time, I will be the one to choose your prey. How does that sound,_ _ **Trucy**_ _and_ _ **Apollo**_ _?_ "

Their soft smiles were still plastered on their face with no sign of disobedience or struggle from them. They were now perfectly well-conceived compliant machines.

"Good, Papa," they both replied.

" _Great, I've uploaded the information of the man you'll hunt tonight. It'll give you all the information you'll need to recognize and find him._ "

The two human robots closed their eyes, reading the data that Papa had just sent them. The sensation was overwhelming as they scrutinized the digital information so easily like they never did, to acknowledge something that normal humans could never do on their own. For a second, it suddenly made them glad they were machines, to know everything in a flash, to do anything without remorse and sentiment in their way.

"Mony Begins, sixty-five," Trucy said the newly uploaded name and age out loud, analyzing the entire data including his facial inputs, height, weight, etc.

" _That's right,_ _ **Trucy**_ _,_ " Papa responded. " _This is the man who deserves justice under your hands._ "

However, an unexpected question came out. "Why him?" Apollo asked.

" _ **Apollo**_ _, you're not supposed to question your Papa. You're a robot, not a human._ "

There was bitterness in the voice, and the siblings detected it. "Yes, I am sorry, Papa," the young man commented, his head dropped in shame.

" _It's okay, boy,_ " Papa consoled. " _But do not deceive me tonight. I trust you two will do well._ _ **Trucy**_ _,_ _ **Apollo**_ _, good luck!_ "

A stirring jolt hit their back from Papa's encouraging words. It made the two siblings happy too.

* * *

 _July 24th 2029, 12:15 AM  
Restaurant De La Poutine, Parking Lot_

Mony Begins was dead tired.

It might have been his old bones too. At sixty-five years old, he should have been home, enjoying his just and well-deserved retirement like many men and women of his generation. Instead of doing what he should have done in his younger days, he had decided to waste money on fruitless things, thus missing his opportunity to save up for a nice retirement.

Well, these were the mistakes of the past.

Today, he was still working to the bones as a cook and as a simple cashier in this silly fast-food restaurant. Being victim of the restaurant's own success, Mony had been pushed around by his bosses, his co-workers and even his whining customers. Job stress had become an integral part of his life, but that was the price to pay for failing at everything. The only thing that had kept him going was the idea that some people in remote countries might have a more miserable life than him. He couldn't be living the worst life in the world!

Of course, everything could have always been better or worse, whatever happened.

As usual, he ended his twelve hours shift later than the closure time thanks to the all-nighters and demanding customers. He was assigned as the last employee to leave today, having the key to lock the doors. Limping on his way to his old car, the exhausted elder decided to open a can of beer he stole from the place for a small pleasure of life. After all, these small drinking pleasures were parts of what had kept him going.

He just couldn't wait to get home, have a good late night dinner and enjoy one episode of his favorite series on the Internet before going for a wonderful night of sleep. Even if the next working shift will be another dull, boring day, he still hoped for a better tomorrow each new day. The saying that "as long as there's life, there's hope" had never ringed so truthfully in his mind. He had to keep up with optimism!

Starting his car and blaring his loud rock music, he drove on the road, taking a shortcut turn around the People Park, close to the Gatewater Hotel. Minding his own business with nicely done beat with his taping fingers on the wheel, he hummed the loud songs along. After years of listening to music, he always refused to change his style, always sticking with the classic rock he grew up with in the previous century. How the style would stay true to the genre in his heart, even in the twenty first century.

A buzzing sensation was felt inside his pocket. Probably another text message or a missing call... Well, he had all the time in the world to wait until he got home to check exactly who sent him a message. Unfortunately, rebelling against the law, he'd rather break the rules when his curiosity won over. When law forbad drivers to even touch their phones while driving on the road, he used a hand to grab his device to see what kind of notification he was-

 **KABANG!**

The sudden blasting tremor that hit his car went to crash above his vehicle. Everything was followed by a loud screeching sound from the break Mony quickly pressed hard, letting out a panicked scream at the same time. The car stopped his track so abruptly he heard another odd sound from his engine and a wide smash of exploding cloud before him. His heart pumped fast and hard as he waited for a minute to gather his thoughts together.

Everything had come to him so fast in the blink of a second that he hadn't seen any details of his own accident.

The sound of his engine died but the wide smoke continued to radiate from it. Upon further inspection over his car from his seat, his bumper was slightly raised up with a gnashing gap on it. That was where the smoke escaped from.

Oh goodness, what had just happened? Did he bump into someone or something?

Mony rushed out of his car, not even noticing how dark the area close to the park was, with only the light of his car illuminating the surroundings. His instincts commanded him to check his bumper first to see which damages found their way on his vehicle and what had caused his engine to go kaput.

A rather surprising noise awaited him when he looked into the smoking gap.

The heavy uproar of an animal cry ferociously welcomed him. Suddenly, a flash of what looked like a raccoon rushed out of the gap, totally unharmed, before it left the scene to disappear in the nearby bushes. The old man was left stumped for few seconds, questioning how the heck a raccoon could survive that kind of normally fatal accident. Those blasted critters, ruining his car like that! Where was he going to find the money for the repairs? His insurances will surely rise up insanely!

Ignoring the little beast, he sought to call for help for his dead and fuming car, but no one seemed to be around the area at this time of the night. He went for his cellphone to call the police until he was suddenly reminded of another thing.

The bump over his car!

Maybe someone was in dire need of help! He ran behind his car, trying to find the thing he rammed into… Hopefully, whomever it was, let the person be alive and well…

To his dismay and despair, small angry sweats flowed against his skin when he discovered exactly what he was looking for. Few meters away from him and his vehicle lied an unmoving body, completely still and limp on the concrete. Thanks to the lights of his car, he discerned a young man, his clothes wholly tattered and ruined by the unfortunate accident, a horrific spectacle he took part of as a... killer...

Soon the lights died with the fully exhausted engine, leading the scene in virtually total darkness.

Slowly and nervously, Mony approached the dead young man closer, his cellphone flashlight directed at him. His thoughts were filled with appalling facts that he had just killed a man over a buzzing sensation coming from his device. Suddenly all those prevention ads about texting behind the wheels made sense to him and he infuriated himself by regretting his total ignorance about these persevering but irritating ads. Indeed, they had always been right all along: never text while driving!

However, the closer he was to the body, the uncannier it appeared. Something was particularly bizarre about it upon a more careful inspection.

It was the total lack of blood.

The young man really struck to him as dead, nevertheless. His eyes were shut tight and his mouth was half-open, but no fluid came out from it. His torn clothes displayed some messy dark stains caused by the dusts of the car and the concrete.

Leaning over the body, Mony panicked. When he did his best to dig deeper in his thoughts about he should react in this very situation, Mony fretfully whispered how sorry he felt over and over. He had done unforgiving sins in the past, but he would have never wished death upon another human.

Then he was reminded of her... his past darling…

...

 _ **Hello, Mr. Begins.**_

A pair of vivid red eyes suddenly bolted before him, earning Mony a shriek and a bounce backward. The voice that had just called him and the red eyes...

...these came from the young man he had just "killed".

Terrified to the core, Mony restlessly stood up as he exclaimed nonsenses, blindly rushing in no particular direction to escape the frightening nightmare of the daunting red eyes. Not even counting the time he spent running away from the living corpse, he soon wanted to collapse from the exhaustion. He was still sixty-five years old and running or exercising had always been the least of his priority. He regretted not working out in these past decades because he will have a harder time to make his escape now.

When he realized he found himself in the deeper parts of People Park, another scary obstacle stopped him from his trajectory.

Two more bright red eyes flashed at him.

 _ **Hello, Mr. Begins.**_

Another scream escaped Mony at the eyes and the new voice calling him, not even minding it sounded like a haunting young girl this time. The old man madly dashed for another direction, hoping he'll be able to avoid more red eyes. Still, close by and around him, creepy, soft laughs followed him as he ran away from everything. By judging the manic, yet calm laughter, these definitely came from a young man and a young girl, probably originating from the same ones with the red eyes.

Mony found himself refuge under a small bridge crossing the small river in the park. He couldn't just run anymore, his old bones giving up from the incessant course. He didn't hear the laughs or the steps from the phantoms anymore. He cherished that pause to take long relaxing breaths and let his heartbeat soothing leisurely. No, what kind of nightmare was that? Why couldn't he simply wake up from this dreadful dream? It will end everything and then he'll be able to get back to work in his boring joint!

Mony crawled his head out from the shadow of the bridge, checking for any sign of the two ghosts' presence. Seeing them gone and perceiving no more grisly giggles, it appeared he could finally walk back home in peace!

 _ **Mr. Begins.**_

T-The voices...!

An aching yelp left his mouth when he felt a leg being effortlessly dragged out of his hideout fast like a bolt, giving him no time to see the face of the ghosts pursuing him. Under the chaotic attempt to escape, the force dragging him was so brutal he could hear one of his bones crack under the extreme pressure of two griping hands, meriting him another scream and an unbearable pain. Mony won't be running again soon, it seemed.

Despite the fear and his excruciating wound inside his crushed leg, the old man managed to get a good glimpse on his current assailant. His orbits opened wide from the shock.

It was a young small teen girl, her glowing red eyes shining over her lenient, almost adorable visage with a kind smile over her lips. If he actually wasn't attacked by her and if he tossed aside the thought of the scaring color of her sight, the girl would have been such a cute, innocent young woman. Unfortunately, all of her cute and innocent features only evoked utter horror in his current position. Her solid hands were still crumbling his bones under the hard pressure, prompting a lower cry this time.

Despite all of her savage moves, the girl still had the sweetest and happiest expression of her face like she was enjoying the moment and the old man's suffering and dread.

"Mr. Begins," the girl mildly called.

"W-W-Who are you...!?" Mony stuttered in total fear.

No answer came to him, but the girl suddenly hurled him violently on the concrete part of the ground, close to a street lamp. After his brutal landing, moaning in pain, he glanced above, only to find the same young man he had rammed into with his car earlier. Mony cried again, witnessing the same guiltless and serene expression on that boy.

"Mr. Begins," the young man friendly called before he viciously kicked the elder in the chest, his inhumane strength sending Mony slightly flying in the air. The old man fell harshly against a tree, leaving more and more groans of pain. This time, blood streamed out of his lips and nostrils.

When he opened his lids again, he saw them once more, clearer this time, the boy and the girl side by side, their red eyes still shining and their gentle smile still present for him.

At this point, Mony had nothing to gain or lose, except his _life_. Even though he was scared to the bones, he knew he will probably die by their hands, unless a miracle occurred. But miracles were inexistent in his life. "W... Why are you two... doing this?" he asked them, his voice barely heard by his own self, but the two demons perceived his words perfectly.

"Because you have been a very bad boy, Mr. Begins," the girl replied.

The man's heart squeezed at her answer. Who the heck were these young people, and how did they even know his name?!

"I haven't done a-anything..." he pled them, begging for their mercy.

"You are lying, Mr. Begins. You have done something very bad," the boy revealed.

In a tiny sheer of hope, losing himself in a delusory state, Mony started crying and used his remaining effort to crawl like he could still get away from them. Of course, his futility only prompted another soft laugh escaping the two devils.

"You cannot get away from us, Mr. Begins," the two people expressed together in perfect sync, their eyes still darted on him, but they remained on their spot.

Oddly enough, even if his strength was starting to fade into nothingness, Mony still crawled, hoping to see help coming for him. It might have been some effect of the adrenaline rush flowing inside. Unfortunately, his surge of energy was short-lived when the two ones came back to him. The boy abruptly grabbed the elder by the neck with a hand to rise him so high in the air, his feet were not touching the ground anymore. Mony couldn't breathe and his entire body was too weak to fight against the attack.

The boy impartially glared at the man for few seconds before sending him pinning against another tree, breaking more bones once again. Mony was unable to moan as he found himself recovering from the loss of air, too busy filling his emptied lungs. The girl bent over him, whispering laxer words with an amusing tone. "It must hurt, Mr. Begins."

"Because you are a human, Mr. Begins," the boy carried on with the same tone as the girl.

The continuous calls of his name in each of their sentences only worsened the fright he was experiencing. To him, their creepy insanity only made him consider if the two were actually humans.

"G... Go away... demons..." Mony whimpered desperately, unable to move from his spot anymore.

That was when another name came to him like a forgotten nightmare resurfacing back from the depth of hell. The two demons approached the old man, their face very close to each of his ears as he was forced to listen to what they had to say.

"Mr. Begins, remember Helena."

 _Helena_. Mony remembered the name quite well. How could he have forgotten the name of the woman he had once loved... and killed? How did these two kids even know about him and worse, about that almost forgotten woman of his past? Was that actually why the two damned creatures were after him?

His past precious, Helena Fox, had been killed because of him, that was true. However, he never intended her to die, nor he had killed her by his own hands.

Of course, the two ghosts wouldn't lend their ears to him if he was to explain what really had happened, because everything was his own fault.

Everything that occurred, twenty-four years ago...

They were married for a little more than a year. Mony Begins and Helena Fox, along with her two teen children from previous relationships, Alex and Tania, formed a marvellous family. His wife's two children were not his own, but the siblings considered him as their own father, or rather, their " _Papa_ " like their mother taught them to call him. How cute. Their marriage would have lasted longer if Mony had never rushed himself into a sobbing but typical gambling and drinking story that would tear apart all his life. Seeing the horrific change in her husband and his denial to solve his problems, Helena divorced him, taking with her the children to never hear from him again.

But this didn't solve anything. Mony had begged Helena to come back with him continuously, finding no other love in his miserable life, but she would never listen. How he had missed his old wife and her nice children… His life crumbled furthermore when he had taken knowledge of Helena's success into finding a more suitable and stable sweetheart to form a new family. She had been bragging publicly about her new boyfriend so much because he was apparently a successful University teacher in science or something. Well, it was true, science and stuff like that were complicated subjects, anyway.

Sinking deeper in the slum world and lacking the resource to deal with his own drinking and gambling problems that had become his only sources of life pleasures, he had forced himself to rely on loaning. Not from your usual loaning bank, but from a crime family syndicate, one of the most powerful mobs in the city underground. Money was much easier of access from them, after all!

What a mistake.

It didn't take long before his debts grew and, of course, he couldn't refund them at all. His job as an IT technician had earned him nowhere close to his due loans and his guilty, expensive pleasures of life didn't help his situation either. He was unable to stop himself and the mobs had given him an ultimatum.

 _Pay, or they die._

Bad luck or chance, rationality was not part of Mony's life back then. From where he stood, he had no idea who "they" were in the warning, nor that he had cared much anymore. The man hadn't taken their threat seriously until he opened his TV on that fateful day, in the year 2005.

 _A mother and her two children were found dead in the old abandoned plant._

 _The confirmed names of the victims are Helena Fox, 37, Alex Fox, 20, and Tania Bailey-Fox, 14._

 _The apparent cause of death is a bullet in the forehead for the three victims. Bruises were found all around the bodies, indicating torture before death._

 _All bullets found in the bodies are marked with a signature logo from the Sainte-Rose family. Motives remain unknown and no arrest has been made so far._

Of course, an arrest never occurred and never will. The law and the force couldn't do a damn thing against these powerful crime families. With no further investigation for this case, this story had gained the outcome of many unsolved crimes of this world: a past souvenir, like nothing ever happened. Soon, Helena, his dear former wife, and her children, Alex and Tania, were forgotten by the law, the justice and the society.

As the painful memories flooded back in Mony's consciousness, more incessant tears escaped his orbits as he stared at his two young assailants. For a split of a second, he could see the vengeful rage emanating from Helena's kids flashing back at him. In a way, the boy and the girl kind of resembled Alex and Tania.

As the names of Helena's children resurfaced from his reminiscences, Mony struggled to call the two demons by their names.

"A-Alex, Tania..." His tears were blurring his sight and his rational thoughts were leaving him slowly. "I-I-I never wanted your death, and your mother's either... F-Forgive me...!"

The two fallen angels tenderly laughed at him. The girl spoke, "Mr. Begins, I am not Tania, nor my brother is Alex."

So the two were a family too.

Mony missed his old family so much...

"But it does not matter now, Mr. Begins," the sister continued.

"Call us how it pleases you, Mr. Begins," the brother added. "It should not matter to a dead man, after all."

Both rushed a hand to brutally catch his neck together. Mony wanted to holler for help, but his throat was shut off. The pressure of their clutches became unbearable. He could, nevertheless, make out their last words as they spoke to him in unison one last time before all went blank.

"We are here to give you the fate you deserve, Mr. Begins. You can call us Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright."

* * *

 _ **Author's Note**_ _: Poutine is an extremely delicious fast food with some sort of sauce similar to gravy, fries and cheese curds, a traditional food from the province of Québec, Canada, hence why the name for the restaurant. If you ever come in Québec, you guys should try that. Also, the unoriginal name "Sainte-Rose" comes from a district of a bigger city in Québec._

 _Yeah, I know. They lose control at midnight to murder people. Just like in a certain Indie game (mind you that I've actually never played the FNAF games, but I know I should!). The reason I choose that time range is because there is much less chance to be seen by a witness between midnight and 4AM since people are usually sleeping around these times. However, at around 4AM, people start waking up to go to work. So yeah..._


	5. Two Gentle Smiles

_G_ _oodness, what a cheesy ending for chapter 4._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 5: Two Gentle Smiles**

 _July 24th 2029, 09:29 AM  
Wright Anything Agency, Phoenix's Bedroom_

He still needed more sleep.

However, his fertile creativity could only grasp the image of the sun rays sneering at him when they blasted the corner of his eyes, blinding him even with his lids shut. Grumbling and removing the half-dried saliva from the side of his mouth, he used up the world's effort to sit on his rear, contemplating the day that had yet to come for him. He gently petted his own chin, only to feel the itchy sensation of a new beard coming out once again.

Well, another day of shaving was another fun part of his life, reminding himself the supposedly dashing and manly look the beard gave him, according to his daughter, at least. Because he couldn't stand her incessant compliments, he'd rather keep his chin soft, much to Trucy's disappointment.

Phoenix limply grabbed his phone, only to jump with something similar to a heart attack when he spotted the time on it. Was it really nine and half already?! Oh no! The business shift should have already started more than an hour ago! What if he missed some early bird clients during his deep sleep? He suddenly remembered the events from yesterday as they were the indirect causes of his difficult night sleep, but that was no reason to wake up that late!

At this point, he was hoping his daughter and her brother were already thriving at work, doing their usual things and waiting for any client. After all, the agency had been quite prosperous since the HAT-2 case a year and half ago, leading them to get busier (and fortunately richer) with work. With three talented defense attorneys preaching for the truth in the team, the folks were giving them a good name and publicity.

To his relief, upon opening the door of his bedroom, he heard activities sounding around. Sparkling magic noises were like music to his ears in the main office room, with Trucy already flourishing with her practices. From another direction, his sense of smell shivered with tingling pleasure from an upcoming delicious food scent, admiring Apollo cooking some breakfast to begin his day. Phoenix instinctively slurped as he sensed another drop of saliva slipping away from the edge of his lips.

Thanks to the kids, this was going to be a very marvellous start of the day.

"Morning, Trucy, Apollo," the man slowly greeted the siblings with a tired but joyful voice, still affected by the bad night sleep.

The two younger ones briefly turned to him with a cheerful beam before the older brother returned to his work after exchanging the greeting. The little sister approached her father closer with an excited bounce.

"Hello, Daddy!" Trucy squealed. "How was your night?"

"Could have been better, to tell the truth," Phoenix answered with a shrug. "But it's all right. Happens from times to times."

The young girl giggled after her father's words. "Well, I hope you're hungry! Polly's preparing you breakfast and coffee, so I'm sure this will help you keep up for the rest of the day!"

Phoenix chuckled along. "It sure smells very good," the father breathed deeply. "I can smell the bacon and eggs. Apollo sure knows what a man wants."

"Duh, Polly's a man too!" the young magician replied back with a sulk, her gloved fists on her hips. A subtle smirk could be seen on the corner of her lips, though. "Why don't you just sit down on the couch and watch some good TV?"

Blinking few times at his daughter, Phoenix quickly shook his head, orbits wide open from the quite unexpected, yet pleasant surprise. Since when was Trucy so courteous with him, or anyone else for the matter? He laughed once again. "Are you trying to make up for yesterday's mess?" the father asked, the discomfort of the question very faint but of course, Trucy detected it. Her grin shifted more plainly now.

"You got it!" Trucy exclaimed, leading her father to the couch. Her move was so sudden and strong Phoenix thought he heard his dragged arm crack at the shoulder's level. How did Trucy gain so much strength? Or maybe, had he gotten older?

Somehow, witnessing his daughter growing up partly earned him sadness. He couldn't believe she was technically stronger as a legal adult now. A strange nostalgia passed through his mind with another smile forming on his expression.

Trucy jokingly patted him on the head before she returned to her props, bringing them in her former bedroom so she'd leave her father to work in peace. Careful to not disappoint his girl, Phoenix leisurely sat down on the couch. He lazily sank deeper into it, using a hand to start the TV with the remote. There was usually nothing worthy of his attention on TV in the morning so he went straight for the forecast, and then the news channel. He might find something interesting to discuss with the kids on the current events of the world.

Few minutes later, Apollo came with the breakfast. His radiant mood seemed a little scarier on him though. The young man wasn't usually that overjoyed at work. Phoenix simply tossed these thoughts aside to admire the dish with seemingly delicious bacons, eggs, toasts and even a custom salad in his hands.

"You really outdid it. Thank you," Phoenix told his pupil as he gently grabbed the dish, which caused Apollo's grin to widen by the sincere compliment.

"Hey, no problem, Mr. Wright!" Apollo replied with a timid scratch behind the neck. "Just to make up for yesterday, you know?"

"You're missing the coffee. Bring it now, then I'll completely forgive you," Phoenix mockingly added.

"Oh, it's still on the way. Should be ready in few minutes, geez!"

When Apollo returned to the kitchen minding his own business, Phoenix started devouring his feast. All the mixed flavors of things warmed his soul and stomach for the better, so much happy tears escaped his eyes with each new mouthful.

Phoenix had been so busy eating it took him a minute before he noticed a news that attracted his attention. However, he could only catch the end of it. Temporarily putting the dish away, he used the remote to rewind.

A murder at People Park last night.

Curiosity immediately invaded his thoughts. People Park was only about a block away from this agency and home. Having been close to a murder scene without knowing gave him tremors through his nerves. From what he could make out of the reporter, an old man had been found dead with a crushed neck and few broken bones, indicating he had probably been severely beaten before death occurred. An arrest had already taken place and the authorities were sure of the culprit because the suspect was around the area, shivering alone with the victim's blood on his hands. He also had the powerful physique and profile of a strangler as forensics confirmed the death was caused by strangulation. Additionally, the victim's damaged car found outside the park showed the vehicle had rammed into something, but nothing close to the scene pointed to another car accident victim.

Phoenix sighed in a funny way. While the murder of someone will never be an event to boast about, even for a worst enemy, the whole murder setting reminded him of his own incident three years ago in the very same Park. He smiled at the reminiscence, recalling Apollo's and Trucy's first official case together. How saddened he had suffered to hide their blood relation behind their oblivious back. Now that everything had been told them, it felt like a dark, cumbersome weight lifted away from him.

How the kids had grown up since then… Well, Apollo retained the same petite stature for a man, but still...

"Hmmm, is this the Wright and Co. Law off-"

"Wright **Anything** Agency, Ma'am!"

The voices threw him out of his reverie world, nearly making him spit the food out of his mouth. Phoenix quickly searched for a cloth to clean his face. He turned his head behind, only to find a humble and unknown young woman standing close to the entrance. She seemed reserved, with an upset Trucy before her who had just insisted on correcting the woman for her choice of words to name the family's office.

"Trucy! That's not how you welcome a client!" Phoenix cried out to his daughter until he realized he still had his messy morning hair and the unshaved beard. Oh, and his pajamas... What time was it once again...?

"It... It's fine." The woman reticently smiled at the attorney, distracting her concerns away from the chirping magician. "You must be Mr. Phoenix Wright, attorney at law, am I right?"

"Yes, I am," the man answered with a shy grin. "Forgive us for... our slight unprofessionalism... I just woke up and..."

"It's fine, truly. Anyone can have a bad night... even attorneys... We're all humans after all..." the woman claimed modestly before she gulped. "My name's Alice Wonders, and I'm... hmmm... requesting defense services for my little brother..."

"Ah, of course, Ms. Wonders," Phoenix greeted with a more formal tone. "Please have a seat while we prepare you some coffee. I'll get myself... changed as well."

Fast like a steady rabbit, Phoenix discreetly dashed to his room, only to find his professional suit ready on his bed and Apollo sitting beside it, smiling at his boss. The man stopped dead for a moment, wanting to say something about his subordinate's startling intrusion in his own room but no words formed out.

Apollo did the speaking instead. "I heard the new client, so I came here to prepare your suit and-"

"Hmmm, Apollo?" Phoenix managed and interrupted with a deep cough from his throat. "What are you doing in my bedroom? You know, you're kinda assaulting my personal space..."

"Oh, sorry about that." The smile gradually left the boy. "It's just Trucy had told me you might need to get changed, and the coffee's still not ready, and Trucy's busy, so... yeah..."

Phoenix paused once again. "Trucy... 'told' you this? Apollo, I've never seen you close to Trucy once, today... How exactly did she tell you this?"

"Body language," Apollo replied with another warm beam. "Also, you might have just missed us while you were with the client."

A silence followed for few seconds before the older man snapped out of this pointless argument. Seeing his protégé appeared nowhere ready to leave the room, using a shooing hand movement, Phoenix simply ordered him to get out while he will get changed. Of course, Apollo complied with his wish, leaving the man in his privacy.

The cloth changing process would have definitely lasted shorter if the boy had never been in the room. However, he couldn't help but ponder.

What was exactly going on in Apollo's mind? How did he look so overjoyed to help his boss with such easy chores like finding clothes for him or even cleaning the toilet? While Phoenix welcomed happiness and joy in his life like no one else, Apollo's unusual happiness and joy, especially with yesterday's incident, just scared him _a little_. It was like a magician might have taken the " _snarkiness_ " out of him, and somehow it looked like the magician behind this was none other than his little sister Trucy.

What were they planning?

When he was done with everything in record time, including his washing and shaving, he left the bathroom with a sigh, nearly expecting either siblings to jump before him to ask if everything was all right. To his relief, none of that happened. Apollo was still standing alone in the kitchen, carefully pouring the hot coffee in two cups. Trucy was still searching for more magic props to bring to her old bedroom. Ms. Wonders was patiently waiting on the main office couch, watching the news, too timid to change for a more interesting channel.

Phoenix came back to the young woman, his professional suit and his shaved face giving him a more impressive allure on the woman who backed away of surprise upon seeing him again. "I've spoken to your employees, and they are very nice," the woman commented with a sad chuckle.

"Yeah, they are," the man responded, embarrassed of the comment but also proud of himself. "My daughter can be quite the girl at times, but she's nice. And the boy… well, he's a man of justice."

"I can see they are, Mr. Wright."

"So tell me about your defense request, Ms. Wonders. Who needs defense?"

Reminding of the case going on, the young woman suddenly choked a subtle sob. She cleared her throat to speak. "It's my little brother, Hardy Wonders. He had been… arrested for murder very early this morning. I was sleeping when I got the call and… you know the rest… I know he's innocent because he would never hurt a fly. He can be a shy guy at times and he looks scary to the normal people because he's more buff than brain. He can be… problematic with people he doesn't know sometimes, but I trust him…"

Phoenix had his share of clients having been under similar circumstance before, and this prompted a melancholic grin out of his mouth. "Right, but before we can go with the paperwork, please tell me about the murder itself," the attorney asked.

Their chatting ended abruptly when the woman's eyes peeked above Phoenix's shoulders, curiously causing him to turn around to see Apollo. Between his fingers and palms were held two hot coffee cups, their steam gently floating above with the sweet and bitter aroma. "I've brought you coffee," Apollo kindly announced.

However, there was something that spurred Phoenix to panic.

The two very hot cups were directly maintained within Apollo's fingers.

"Apollo, you're gonna burn your hands!" Phoenix suddenly shouted as he stepped forward the boy.

What came just after his shout left him and Ms. Wonder to let a freaked scream out.

The two cups suddenly broke between the grasps of Apollo's hands, with the burning content soaking him.

"Apollo!" Phoenix used his own Chords of Steel to call his protégé, dashing forward the young man in a terrified state, horrified to find what wound would come upon the boy.

Strangely, Apollo only stood there, innocently staring at his boss with a clueless frown. "Huh? What's the matter, Mr. Wright?" he asked, his hands still damped with the very hot coffee, but he appeared perfectly uninjured and not bothered by the hot content at all.

With his trembling hands, Phoenix gripped onto Apollo's wrists to get a quick look at his hands. "Apollo! Do you need some burn cream? I've got some in the bathroom and-"

"I'm fine," Apollo asserted, gently tossing Phoenix's hands with his wet, steaming dark fingers.

However, an aching yelp came out of Phoenix as soon as the boy touched his hand. It burned! How the heck did Apollo stand totally unaffected by it? And... why did he break these two hot cups like nothing ever happened? No normal humans should react so impartially just like how the boy did!

"I-I'm sorry, I'll clean the m-mess!" Apollo stuttered this time, his smile fading when he saw the intensifying agitation in Phoenix. "I'll prepare more coffee if you want, and I promise to not break anything!"

At the same time, unbeknownst to the two sole true humans of the place, Trucy perceived an encrypted message from her brother.

" _Trucy, I should have acted more natural,_ " Apollo said with slight shame to his sister. " _I have trouble controlling my strength. The cups crushed under my fingers because I am unable to detect the correct pressure the cups can take. I must also remember humans feel pain like burns and cuts._ "

" _It is okay, Polly,_ " Trucy answered, still busy with her magic matters and not even looking toward the chaotic mess from her room. " _We are still not completely used to our bodies. We will do better. At least,_ _I feel Daddy does not suspect anything about our real nature yet. It is good._ "

When Apollo rushed back to the kitchen to find some cleaning kits, Phoenix observed his protégé go. Leaving a very long sigh, he returned his attention to his new potential client. He now noticed a quite frozen and blushing Ms. Wonders as she seemed to ask herself what had just happened. Instead of the adrenaline rushing inside her veins, her heart just appeared to stop, like time wouldn't advance anymore.

"Huuuuh," was all the young woman succeeded to moan.

"Errr, don't worry about this kid," Phoenix expressed with a profoundly bashful smirk. "He might not look like it, but he's a very skilled attorney. He's also a very good investigator and he's going to be a very useful partner in your case..."

The young woman quickly shook her head, trying to toss the events that had just occurred before her. "Huh, right!" she exclaimed with a fake, mortified giggle. "Of course he's skilled; he's Phoenix Wright's student after all! Ha... ha..."

Both stupidly laughed together for a good minute. They had absolutely no idea why they'd giggle like two happy hyenas. Going back to their previous subject, Phoenix forced himself to initiate the conversation.

"All right then, Ms. Wonders. You were about to tell me about the murder and your brother, Hardy Wonders, right?"

Ms. Wonders roughly coughed, letting her stress out. "Hmmm, that's right," she replied.

"Now tell me about him. Why was he arrested?"

"Well, you might have heard about the murder in People Park that occurred last night. My brother was taking a nocturnal walk there. And then… he found the body of an old man... He thought he was still alive so he touched the body to help him, but there was blood all over and..."

As they were doing their work, both Trucy and Apollo carefully listened to the client.

 _ **The client is speaking of the one we deleted, Trucy.**_

 _ **Yes, Polly. This means we must take her case. Her brother is innocent.**_

 _ **Good, Trucy. We must give justice in this world, and we will help innocent humans.**_

From the side of his view, Phoenix could have sworn he saw two gentle smiles from Trucy and Apollo flashing at him.


	6. Two Demons

_This chapter is OCs fest._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 6: Two Demons**

 _July 24th 2029, 08:53 PM  
The Siblings' Apartment, Living Room_

" _How did your day go, Trucy and Apollo?_ "

"It went nicely," Trucy answered, using her physical voice to answer her raccoon friend. "I've had magic practices and university studies. I've been failing few of my magic tricks and Daddy didn't like to see me fail, but I still need to get used to this new body."

"Mr. Wright and I have taken the case of Mr. Begins' murder," Apollo added. "We'll help the suspect, Hardy Wonders. We'll prove him innocent because he's innocent."

Fleur carefully listened to the siblings before she returned to the window, contemplating the vestige of the fading sun in the horizon. Both human machines curiously stared at their furry companion, wondering why she would spend her days watching the sky from the window instead of interacting with the outside world like they did.

"You should go out, Fleur," Trucy suggested the little critter. "We might be no human anymore, but we still interact with them. It gives us _'fun'_. It might give you _'fun'_ too."

" _I am not human, neither you are._ "

Fleur was ignoring their feelings. Her answer left the two siblings stumped for few seconds, causing Trucy to pout with sadness and Apollo to frown with pity for reminding them of their eternal fate as non-human. "You're a mammal, just like us," Apollo informed, trying to cheer up the little animal. "All mammals enjoy fun."

" _I am not mammal, neither you are._ "

A short whine escaped Trucy's throat. She couldn't believe their small friend would deny her old existence as a raccoon just like that. Didn't critters like raccoons love to have some fun too? Playing with mates, finding edible treasures around humans' homes, stealing cats' food… "Please, Fleur!" the magician girl pleaded out. "You have a soul too, don't you? Your memories, your old habits… Papa let you keep them, didn't he?"

This time, Fleur reverted to the siblings.

" _My purpose now is to help you, not to have fun. That is how your Papa had programmed me. You, on the other hand, have been programmed so you still lead your former human lives while doing your nocturnal missions._ "

Curiosity suddenly picked the critter's interest when both Apollo and Trucy immediately stared at her with an intense energy. Their cold, piercing glares was like stabbing in where should have been her heart. For once since her new life…

Fleur was left uncomfortable.

...

"You're tense. Are you lying?" both past humans said at the same time, keeping their eyes on her as if she was unable to get away from their mesmerizing glare. Fleur had taken notice of that particular move from the older brother as he caught his wrist wearing the bracelet.

She couldn't actually tell why the siblings acted in such manner. She couldn't latch onto anything in their memories about this odd feature of their hypnotizing, yet fascinating eyes. From all the humanity knowledge Papa had transferred into her database, what the siblings were currently doing was defying normal human and robot features.

Were these two humans granted with an instinctive behavior, a genetic disorder? No, she must not call this a disorder. It appeared like a... magician power.

She remembered exactly when they had both started their sharpening gaze: when she mentioned the word " _purpose_ ".

…

" _You two are going to delete more humans tonight._ "

Fleur chose to ignore her friends' question.

It was actually not part of her programs to ignore their questions. The core coding ordered her to answer each of their questions without hesitation. After all, that was her present reason to exist. But just right now, she had managed the impossible.

She fought against her programs, albeit much less thoroughly, just like the two human machines had done.

Seeking inspiration from her friends, perhaps yes; she probably still had her soul, deep inside.

"Aww, that's a bummer!" Trucy exclaimed out, letting her arms and shoulders down out of disappointment. "We thought we'd be free of this mission with no name given by Papa..."

Just as the young girl blurted her words out, all three robots suddenly read the new data that was being uploaded into their core programs. As they gathered the information, the siblings realized it was a new list for their next targets. A group of five people with strange French names appeared in their exchanged minds.

" _Mathieu Sainte-Rose, 44; Jean-François Sainte-Rose, 45; Pierre-Étienne Sainte-Rose, 44; Daniel Sainte-Rose, 45; Guillaume Sainte-Rose, 44._ "

" _They are all around the same age range. Why is that?_ " Apollo remarked with their encrypted signals.

" _You have seen it in the memories that Papa had sent you, right?_ " Fleur said.

" _You mean the murder of Helena and her two children Alex and Tania?_ " Trucy questioned.

" _Yes, that is right,_ " Fleur explained. " _The Sainte-Rose mafia is the family responsible for the loan of Mony Begins and the murder of Helena Fox, Alex Fox and Tania Bailey-Fox. The five humans you just read about were the five humans directly responsible for the death of the Fox family. These five humans were given the job to delete the innocent family as a way to become an integral part of their crime syndicate, to become 'true' adults on their twentieth year of life._ "

Trucy's impartiality suddenly changed to pity. " _In the memories of Papa that he shared with us, Papa was the boyfriend of Helena when she was deleted,_ " the magician commented.

" _Yes, you read well, Trucy,_ " the raccoon complimented.

" _We understand now,_ " the young man added. " _Papa is really a man of justice. Papa is a great man who wants justice in this world and that is why Papa remade us._ "

Both siblings warmly smiled as they said in unison, "Papa is great."

There was no sign of disobedience nor struggle in their voices. Today, they were mere loyal, artificial tools conceived for justice.

* * *

 _July 25th 2029, 12:25 AM  
Industrial District, Old Abandoned Factory_

They questioned themselves about their man's choice for this area out of all places in the city.

Rumors had been circulating over the Internet about ghosts haunting this eerie old factory. Like most of Internet facts, however, they were probably just made-up lies by some no-life kid on a quest for cheap glory and trolling attention. The abandoned factory appeared to be a good candidate for hosting some of these malevolent, imaginary spirits when no light other than the light pollution and the moon could illuminate the building from above. Oh, and there seemed to be a single working but flickering lamp above their heads that brought some life in this surrounding.

Everything still creeped out the five armed men. If there were really some haunting ghosts, bullets would probably have no effect on them.

"You sure this's the place?" a man by the name of Jean-François asked his superior, Daniel.

"Yeah, that should be the place the old geezer spoke of," Daniel replied with a grin. "He should bring the debt money in a big iFly suitcase."

"I don't think this's the best place to repay a debt," Guillaume commented, shivering from the cold, though he would never admit part of his trembling was caused by his fear of ghosts. Something told him the silly Internet rumors might be real.

"True, but as long as no one else sees us and that we get the money, all's well that ends well," Mathieu added with a smirk at everyone.

"So when is the man supposed to come with the suitcase?" Pierre-Étienne interrogated. "I mean, it's nearly midnight and half..."

"Hey, patience! Give it some times!" the boss Daniel said. "The man wrote 12:15 AM, but maybe his clock's fifteen minutes early or something."

"Isn't fifteen minutes a bit of a stretch? Like-"

A loud clanking sound stumbled across the big area. Something abrupt had ruthlessly landed on the floor few feet away from them. A huge cloud of dust blinded the mobs for a long minute with coughs and tiny things in their eyes before everything revealed itself in front of them.

A suitcase had just fallen from the sky.

Curiously, the men stared above, trying to find the mysterious individual they were supposed to meet with the money ready. Yet, nothing alive appeared to come out from the very high stair above. Nonetheless, like Mathieu has mentioned, as long as they had the money, all was good...

"The cash must be in," Mathieu expressed, a strange satisfaction making its way from his mouth.

When the men rushed to the suitcase, Guillaume had been a little too preoccupied with checking his surrounding again for another unknown presence, especially above his head. There was no way that case fell down on its own, and surely, someone else was on the stair up, right? Hopefully, the presences were not… ghosts… His gun ready in his hands, he pointed the weapon above, trying to scream at them, but only a shy and short whisper escaped his lips.

The four other men, however, grunted with disappointment when they reached the suitcase. "A lock…" Pierre-Étienne muttered as he caught the thing locking the case. "Should we go find something to unlock it?"

With a sigh, Daniel simply pushed Pierre-Étienne aside. "Silly, we already have everything we need," the boss conceitedly hollered, pointing his gun at the lock. He shot it and the lock broke in few smaller pieces, freeing the case, at last. "All right, the cash's in, guys!" The men carefully opened the case…

"GAH!"

…only to find a dead raccoon inside.

The men took a sudden step backward with a loss of balance at the gruesome sight of the dead animal. Only their boss Daniel remained on his two feet, his rage fuming wider.

"Goddamnit!" Daniel cursed with a violent foot tap on the ground. "Whose idea was that? This is just revolting!" However, he soon calmed down when he spotted a small note stuck on the animal's fur.

Curiously, all men, save for a busy Guillaume searching for ethereal apparitions, gathered around the case, trying to read what was written on the note. The industrial lamp above wasn't shining bright enough to see the message, though. Jean-François had the idea of using his cellphone as a flashlight. All together, they read the small message out loud.

 _ **You are the bad guys.**_

 _ **Die.**_

 _ **AE**_

All of a sudden, a fluffy mass rigorously shoved Daniel out of its way, fast like the wind, causing him to fall down directly on his rear. With a short shriek, Daniel cursed louder from the intense pain following the fall like a bone inside his spine had moved out of its place. The man was unable to even raise his upper body above the already low level he was stuck in. The men came to help Daniel, but the boss would always fall back with a tiny yelp each time.

Guillaume stayed behind, frozen by the fear as he faced a growling animal on all fours that had just appeared before him, its glowing red eyes glaring at him, its back, tail and fur bristled up. "G-G-Guys…" Guillaume stuttered with fright. "There's a-a-a m-monster over here…!"

"Just shoot it, idiot!" Daniel hissed before he immediately returned to his own pain moments.

And shoot Guillaume did. Before he could even boast victory for killing the beast, he must come with a decisive realization that his projectile trajectory was merely futile.

Not only the bullet actually reached its target, but it never, ever, entered its flesh, like the combination of fur and skin had managed to halt the bullet. Well, a small part of the fur had burned lightly, but the critter was still definitely alive and completely uninjured. Was the animal made of metal or something?! The snarling creature carried on staring at the man. It did not even seem to be startled by the projectiles, except for being pushed by the shooting recoils each time it'd been hit after Guillaume attempted to murder it for good several times, without success.

Upon further inspection on the animal, it was a raccoon.

And when all men looked back at the suitcase, the dead raccoon was gone.

"N-No… It must be a z-z-zombie raccoon!" Guillaume screamed out, falling on his back and alarmed like no one else. He quickly shot more, panicking so much he wasted most of his bullets on the creature. Each bullets literally touched it, but none entered its flesh. The raccoon remained there, still glaring at him with its bloody vivid eyes with its never-ending aggressiveness.

To everyone's relief, the animal finally ran away, just like that.

"Well, tossing that furry thing aside, that man's going to pay for his prank for sure!" Daniel furiously growled after he managed to sit, his fists thumping the dirty soil.

A sigh left Mathieu. "Then what should we do, boss?" he asked.

"First, we're leaving," Daniel ordered. "Second, just help me get to-"

 _ **Hee hee hee…**_

All men froze for a second before they readied their gun and their shooting pose at the echoing girl's laughter. Yet, they found no one. Strangely, the voice had sounded quite spookier than a simple giggle, just like the laugh of... a malicious ghost.

"Guys, this place's really haunted..." Guillaume dashed closer to his companions with his used gun.

Even with his excruciating pain in his back, Daniel kept his composure straight like the boss he was. "Stop your damn nonsense, Guillaume! Ghosts and monsters don't exist!" he rumbled out loud.

However, another underling disagreed with the boss, for once. "Huh, guys...?" Pierre-Étienne called, his shivering index pointing toward a direction and everyone led their eyes to it. With the light pollution outside and the wide gap on the factory wall...

...over there stood the silhouette of someone appearing like a young long-haired woman.

"Who are you?!" Mathieu asked, his gun directed at her.

No answer. How astonishing...

 _ **Hehehehe...**_

Everyone jolted with a short terrified squeal. This time, the laughter came from the girl's opposite direction and they all turned around. It had sounded like a man. Their theory might be granted real when they could make out a form of what was shaped like a young man. Three of them kept their guns aimed at him while the two others still had their weapons at the girl.

"If you two are trying to toy with us, you're toying with the wrong team!" Jean-François yelled out, trying to keep his cool.

However, his words only prompted another small chuckle from the two silhouettes before they spoke back together like they were impeccably in sync, their chilling, blank words sending a freezing rush through their nerves.

 _ **You are tense, Jean-François Sainte-Rose.**_

The unexpected call of the name had caused the men to lose their focus on the two mysterious people. They all precipitously yipped together when two pairs of horrific flashing red eyes coming from the vague silhouettes cornered the men.

The humane forms quickly faded away, but the red eyes continuously circled nearby them like wild predators driving their prey to final exhaustion. Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot was heard from one of the demons. The darkness immediately followed when the sole industrial lamp above their heads broke into thousands of pieces. The shatters closely landed on the men. One devil had shot that lonely working lamp, leading them to move around blindly and mostly using their hearing now.

Now, the only remaining light sources were these bright red eyes and the light pollution in the sky...

Gathering their courage, the men started shooting at the swift mysterious demons. Unfortunately, while most of the bullets never touched them, the two running enigmas appeared totally unharmed from the shots when they hit them.

Just as with the "zombie" raccoon... Were they all coming from the same haunting species?

"Goddamn, these g-guys must not be hu-humans!" Mathieu shouted in fear, sweat pouring on his skin as much as his friends.

Their shooting trial had provoked them to wander away from their wounded boss who ordered them to come back to him. "Guys!" Daniel tried to get his subordinates' attention with a yell. "Come back herrrAAAAARG-"

The men had stopped the blasts when they realized their boss had disappeared under oblivion. His incessant screams persisted as his voice was drawn farther away from all. In the haste of the frightening occurrence, they knew he was being dragged somewhere far from the group but unfortunately, they couldn't see where exactly he was going. Daniel's cries in the blackness were momentarily cut when they heard some cracking bones along with clubbing sounds. The cries eventually shifted to painful sobs, begging his mysterious captor to stop.

Then there was silence.

...

One man freaked out as he pulled out his hair. "NO!" Pierre-Étienne shouted, terrorized. "They killed the bo-"

Now Pierre-Étienne suddenly fell and squealed for help as he was led farther in nothingness too. Mathieu did everything to grab his friend as he was being dragged away. Unluckily, Pierre-Étienne was being taken out too fast. When Mathieu turned his back, it was Jean-François' turn to disappear to his certain end.

Frozen by the horror of the events happening before their very ears (as their eyes were unable to see any action), Guillaume and Mathieu stayed close back at back, guarding their environs together. They both experienced the surging dread of their trembling bodies as the screams of their friends suddenly shut down one by one. Right now, they had no idea what they should do: wait here and fight like a man, or simply flee for their lives.

Suddenly, the saying that "as long as there's life, there's hope" was taking its sense to its fullest when they decided it was best to run away together.

However, their choice didn't even matter when Mathieu started screeching too. Guillaume despairingly sensed him being trailed back to emptiness to meet his fate like everyone else. The pure distress fell on the last survivor as he miserably dropped on his knees, utterly devastated and knowing he'll get to join the others very soon. He thought that maybe that was the punishment they deserved for all the premeditated hunt they had organized together for the sake of their family. Maybe all of this was wrong...

Maybe... maybe... these two merciless demons might not be that merciless! Maybe... they'll forgive him for what he had done in the past for more than half of his life!

"Please...!" Guillaume supplicated, now louder with whines. "Please don't k-kill me!"

A miracle ensued.

After they were done with his last surviving friend (who was surviving no more), the two demons eyed him with their glowing crimson stare. They stood side by side, their holding hands visibly leaking some fresh blood, just like a loving couple radiating psychosis. They remained totally motionless save for their waving soft hair that could be reflected thanks to the light pollution outside.

"I-I-I'm so sorry for what we've done!" the man continued as tears poured down over his hardened cheeks. "Please, forgive my past actions! I've done this for my family and my companions... I never intended to kill any of them, I swear!"

The ghosts laughed at him, to his dismay. He knew they will not hear his pleas or, at worst, consider his pitying situation.

"You are lying, Guillaume Sainte-Rose," the two said together, their ghostly voices sending more cold creeps on his stiff skin. "Lying is bad. You are a bad guy."

Upon hearing their response, Guillaume collapsed on his hands. Leaning miserably on all fours, he asked himself if he could actually get out of this mess untouched, or at least alive. He thought of his family business, his wife, his three daughters and the eventual grandson he will probably never meet now. Really, had his family... ruined that much other families? But... he had a reason to kill these people, for their debts and... and...

Wait, were all these killings really about business...?! Did money even matter in his position right now? He had taken his life and the others' for granted so much he had forgotten that each human being had a soul somewhere, families, friends, jobs and everything that made them human, just like himself. Life mattered on each of us, whenever one was rich, whenever one was poor, happy, depressed, bright, stupid, healthy, sick...

Life was something he'll miss.

As the memories of each of their business slaughters flooded back in his thoughts, Guillaume now suddenly understood what their victims had gone through before they had their lives stolen. He even remembered that first family that had fallen under their hands for another generic loan story, three hostages who had absolutely nothing to do with this drama...

 _Each of his friends, including himself, were sharing their fun over beating that family of three, consisting of a mother and her two children. He reminded himself the oldest child was even few months older than him back then. How exciting it had been to watch as their will and hope gradually declined with time as they had no idea why they were remaining captive. According to their big boss, that was their way to show a common folk to never get money loaned and then never giving it back._

 _It was their own approach to prove their family that they were active parts of the mobs too._

 _When the big boss announced it was time to get rid of the hostages, only the beaten mother had had enough lingering energy to speak._

" _Please... spare my... son and... daughter... they are... in... innocent..."_

 _What welcomed the dying mother were mocking snickers from the five men. Guillaume himself had been designated the lucky one to end everything. He aimed over the weakened young man's forehead who could only watch in defeat, because he knew that was futile to resist. They had ultimately lost the fight to keep their lives._

 _He shot. He aimed over the crying young girl and he shot once again. Lastly, he directed his weapon over the sobbing mother..._

Today was now his time. Nevertheless, he was not ready for this.

Guillaume's bawls intensified when another blazing light travelled around him. When he found its source, he couldn't move, frozen by the terror that was revealed before him.

Few feet away from him, the zombie raccoon from before had stolen one of his friends' cellphone, using the device as a flashlight to show him what hid in the darkness. The light unveiled what macabre fate awaited him.

All the bodies of his four companions rested on the ground, bones and muscles crushed by sheer physical force. Blood streamed out of their open wounds and body parts, even their nostrils, mouths and eyes.

The corpses were crying blood.

He could now see the clear, oddly tender visage of their assailants. As expected, the two demons were a simple young girl and a young man. Their smiles were disturbingly gentle like the warmth on their chilling red eyes. His friends' blood was still pouring down from their hands and staining the purity of their face.

The two appeared like the very image of a twisted innocence, like deadly, vengeful ghosts.

So they were strong enough to kill people with their bare hands.

They couldn't be humans.

"Guillaume Sainte-Rose," the girl called softly.

"H-How do you know my name?" the man asked, aware that some of his sanity was dying out.

"It does not matter how we know your name, Guillaume Sainte-Rose," the young man mildly replied.

Guillaume's hands turned into fists. Gritting his teeth, he assembled his courage to speak back at them. "Why are you doing this? W-Who are you?"

Together, the demons walked forward the surrendering man. Guillaume looked up but sensed his heart pumping hard against his chest when their smiles became a more mischievous version of their softness.

"Machines like us are created to bring justice in this world, Guillaume Sainte-Rose," the boy said.

... Machines...?

"Machines like us do not need any reason to delete humans, Guillaume Sainte-Rose," the girl added.

"It does not matter if you know who we are now, Guillaume Sainte-Rose."

"Because dead men like you cannot speak, Guillaume Sainte-Rose."

"My name is Apollo Justice."

"My name is Trucy Wright."

Guillaume's last thoughts were the utter agonizing reality of being crushed to the ground by strong naked hands as they brought _justice_ in this wicked world, at last, making the realm slightly better.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes**_ _: Yes, all the mobs' names are intentionally sounding French Canadian, or Québécois, or just French. Because we lack of them in fiction. Also I'm born Québécoise. :p Obviously, I barely know anything about crime families, except that money is involved a lot with them and that they deal with politics, lol._


	7. Two Loving Murderers

_Spirit of Justice is released in Japan, meaning this chapter is probably full of wrong facts, if I'm guessing they're revealing more about the Gramaryes. But I'm avoiding spoilers until the English release._

 _I mention orphanages in this chapter. I know the US doesn't have orphanages… But seeing we are in Japanifornia in this story, orphanages totally exist. Refer to AAI2 for their existences._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 7: Two Loving Murderers**

 _July 25th 2029, 1:14 PM  
District Court, Courtroom No. 5_

"And with that, Your Honor, that's why Mr. Wonders can't be the culprit!"

Prosecutor Winston Payne shot a pointing index at Phoenix Wright, but achieving no words to counter the defense's argument, he soon found himself left with his mouth stuck open and his finger bent down. The prosecutor couldn't believe it. He had failed once more against his longtime _rival_ Mr. Wright and his subordinate Mr. Justice! Though he was glad that he had not put an innocent defendant in prison for something he hadn't done, he still wished he could have few more guilty defendants sometimes.

If only that Justice kid didn't have an eye for lies... Being a living lie detector must be a great weapon for the Wright team.

"Well, I must say you sound quite convinced, Mr. Wright," the Judge commented. "Does the prosecution have any more objections?"

The prosecutor dropped his head in defeat with a shrug. "No, Your Honor," Winston replied.

"Well then. We'll leave the guilt or innocence of Mr. Wonders in the hands of the twelve jurors. Judge well."

It didn't take long before a verdict was announced. Within no more than five short minutes, the Judge came back from his chambers. Phoenix and Apollo were already sensing their rightful victory surging with the Judge's subtle smile toward the nervous defendant.

Clearing his throat, the Judge commenced his verdict. "The Court finds the defendant Mr. Wonders not guilty of the murder of Mr. Begins."

Applauses and cheers emerged from the crowd as confetti rained across all, with the defendant's big sister Alice Wonders running toward her brother for a hug. Phoenix sighed, exhausted over this easy victory for the truth, though he would have preferred to find the true culprit behind the case. With nothing pointing at the murderer's identity but theories about their greater strength, investigation will remain arduous. At least this time, another innocent man was freed from false accusations, and that was what mattered now.

"Congratulations on your freedom, Mr. Wonders! You deserve it!" Apollo cheered on the client with a beaming expression, laying a hand on his shoulder.

The defendant, however, quickly shied away from his attorney's assistant. Apparently, Hardy was not really comfortable with physical contacts except from his sister Alice and his parents, the poor man having few social complexities. "Huh, thanks, little one..." Hardy timidly forced himself, but his weird smirk appeared genuine at least.

"Don't call Mr. Justice 'little one', Hardy!" Alice complained to her younger brother. "You might be tall and buff but that doesn't give you the right to call him that!"

"That's true," Phoenix added with a chortle as he amicably patted on his student's head. "After all, the little one's a little hung up about his littleness."

A scowl made its appearance over Apollo upon catching on what Phoenix had just teased about. "Hm, Mr. Wright, I know I'm smaller than average, but seriously... This tops all so far..."

"Mr. Wright, Mr. Justice, I humbly thank you both from the bottom of our hearts," Alice expressed with a polite bow. "I will definitely recommend your Wright and Co. Agenc-"

"Wright **Anything** Agency, Ma'am," Apollo insisted, interrupting the young woman.

…

Phoenix blinked for a second.

Did Apollo really rectify their client over the agency name? And there he thought the boy actually never cared much about the peculiar choice of name for their agency…

The big sister laughed. "Ah right, Wright Anything Agency, that's it!"

When their two clients retreated from the courthouse, the attorneys bumped into a running Trucy with her mother tiredly chasing behind. "You've worked well, Phoenix, and you too, Apollo," Thalassa congratulated them with some tiny, quick gasps. "Your case reminds me of that old case when you defended Machi. The intense passion in your voice and your actions, I could experience it again."

Apollo would have blushed if he was better with his emotions. "Hey, just doing my job!" he shyly responded to his mother. "Besides, Mr. Wright did most of the job..."

"That's not true and you know it, Polly!" Trucy cried with a snicker. "You did so great when you found the lie of the witness! For a while, I thought the witness actually did the deed!"

"I thought so myself, but lil old Pollo has keen eyes for the truth," Phoenix added with a more stern frown. "He overturned everything and the witness was found innocent of the crime too. In the end, we still don't know who did it."

 _ **That is because we did it together, Trucy and I, Mr. Wright.**_

 _ **And we will not let you know this, Daddy.**_

"How about we celebrate this win with a dinner at my hotel?" Thalassa hesitantly attempted to insert herself into this fun. "I will order anything you want, even the most expensive wine."

Both siblings blankly glared at their mother from the offer she had suggested. Their sight shied away to the ground, slightly uncomfortable. Unbeknownst to the humans present, the two machines were actually exchanging information with their encrypted data.

 _ **Trucy, we cannot accept her offer. We cannot eat. She will wonder why we do not eat. She will question us.**_

 _ **Polly, if we do not go, they will suspect us more. Remember what Fleur told us.**_

 _ **Yes, that no humans other than Papa must know about our true nature. I know.**_

 _ **We need another lie. We must not remain suspicious.**_

"Well, I've prepared something at home already, Mother," Apollo carefully answered. "But we can come to your hotel before dinner. We'd be glad for this!"

Watching her son going all blushy-blushy melted Thalassa's heart. She couldn't avoid the joyful grin of a proud and happy mother. Instinctively, as she let her body do the move by itself, her arms slowly wrapped around the young man's waist and her head sank into his chest. Jolting from his mother's sudden act, Apollo's eyes wandered with utter discomfort before he finally moved his vision toward his boss and his sister who simply shrugged at him.

"We're going to have a good family moment," the delighted woman sobbed.

 _ **Being loved is nice, Trucy.**_

 _ **Yes, it is, Polly.**_

 _ **I think I love Mother more now.**_

 _ **Me too. I love Mommy.**_

Strangely, Apollo's skin was a little cold to the touch.

* * *

 _July 25th 2029, 5:02 PM  
Gatewater Imperial Hotel, Room 820_

"Please, tell us about Polly's daddy, Mom!" Trucy chirped like a little girl, her chin and crossed arms still on the table as she glued her cute gaze to her mother's.

Suddenly, a sulk appeared over Thalassa's now sorrowful face over her daughter's demand. She turned to Apollo to see if he agreed with his sister's request. Unfortunately for her, the boy seemed uncommonly eager to know about his roots as well. The mother prepared a long, everlasting breath, questioning if she should be speaking of her first husband to her children who had never met the man of her past.

"How did Step-Daddy look like?" Trucy beamed with more curiosity, insisting for more information. "Do you have a picture of him?"

Thalassa sadly smiled at them. "Unfortunately, I don't have any picture of him anymore," the mother started before she dragged her attention to her son. "However, he looked a lot like you. Lively, loud voice, cute brown weird hair, adorable cheeks-"

"I'm not adorable!" Apollo suddenly protested.

Both girls covered their mouth, trying to tone down their giggles. "C'mon, Polly, don't deny your cuteness!" Trucy teased.

"Yes, your father was a very cute man, indeed," Thalassa added with her now curved up lips as she recalled the first man she had loved. "I met Eros Justice when I was a teen working with my father, Zak and Valant under the Troupe Gramarye."

The woman bit her lips from the comment that will come, few scarcely visible tears streaming out of her orbits. "Father hired him and few others for a big one-time contract. Eros was among the youngest of the guest team. He was my age too, so we learned to know each other quite easily. We eventually fell in love. However, Father didn't approve his relation with me because to him, the magician career was more important and Eros was not a real magician. He was a simple circus performer and he never completed his schooling."

"Later, I learned I was pregnant. It devastated me, and Eros and I didn't know how to deal with my father about the situation. Not only Father didn't approve of Eros, but he despised pregnancies outside marriages and even more teen pregnancies. We both decided to marry, even though we weren't eighteen yet, so we had to get the legal approval of my father. He finally gave us his blessings, but we decided to leave the troupe to start a new life because Eros's relation with my father and even with Zak and Valant wasn't very good… Also, I admit I didn't want neither of the three to know about my pregnancy…"

"We lived together happily without the Troupe Gramarye to spy on us, and Eros started a new career with a local circus. I remember how you loved your father, Apollo, so much I think you preferred him over me." Thalassa ended her sentence with a small laugh but she soon returned to her melancholic mood. "However, when you were about ten months old, he died during a live stage accident. I remember the horror of that day; the crowd was screaming, and I was crying all my tears out."

Pensive, Apollo casted his eyes to the side, scratching the back of his head. "So… my father accidentally died…?" the young man whispered. "I guess I won't be seeing him anytime soon…"

A mournful beam emerged from Thalassa's lips with her son's comment. "Yes, that's right," she expressed. "After the accident, I was financially struggling; I had no one to help me raise my child. Eros did not have a family to help me. I didn't have any good education to find a decent job or even time to return to school. The only choice that was given to me was to return to the Troupe again with my father and his two acolytes."

This time a snivel escaped the mother's throat as her eyes returned to Apollo. "My father would only allow me back… if I left you behind and never let Zak and Valant know about your existence! He didn't see you as a part of the family because of my childish decision to hide you from him… And your presence in the troupe would only slow us down… Because he put his career above everything… and that I was so desperate at the time…" A wail abruptly sounded out from her. "I was so young… I'm so sorry, Apollo…! I never wanted to leave you… I cried so much when I left you in the orphanage… I thought that by leaving you one of my bracelets and your father's name, you'd be able to retrace your true family eventually… but… I… I…"

When an unexpected hand found its way on her back, patting her for more soothing comfort, Thalassa peered behind to see her son giving her a warm smile, his reassuring sight fully melting her pressure away. "It's all right, Mother," Apollo softly said. "Remember, I've already forgiven you."

"Thank you, my son," Thalassa sobbed once more before she returned to her story, clearing her throat to let the lingering sadness out. "I swore to myself that one day, I'll return to the orphanage to get you back when I'll be older… But… I admit when I finally fell for Zak, I was too scared to admit I had another child with Eros… As promised to my father, I never told Zak nor Valant about you."

She brought her focus over her daughter whose ears were willing to hear more of the story, now that they reached her father's arc. "Nevertheless, Zak Gramarye, or should I call him by his real name, Shadi Enigmar, was a wonderful and strong man. He was nowhere close to Apollo's father in term of personality, but he would do anything to protect the ones he loved. He got me to rediscover and appreciate magic once again. Thanks to him, I learned to accept life as it is."

"Shadi and Valant were the pupils of my father. He met them during one of their magic shows when they were a simple duo, working as part-time magicians during their college years. That was when we formed the troupe together, before I met Eros. With them in the troupe, we had become financially successful and we had gained a national fame."

"After I came back, Shadi was the one to comfort me for the loss of my first husband. I appreciated his move and we fell for each other. We married two years later. I remember how teary he was when he learned of having a child. He boasted about it to everyone by crying that it was my first child and his first child. That was another reason why I was too afraid to let him know about Apollo's existence, because when he was angry, he could be quite… scary."

"Shadi loved his daughter Trucy like no one else. I don't know what pushed him to leave you with Mr. Wright, but I'm very glad that you had led a wonderful life with Phoenix. And I told myself that Apollo was probably leading a good life outside the magical world of the troupe, without a strict grandfather to lead his life all the time."

 _ **Trucy, I am not sure if Mother loves me. She loved your father more than me.**_

 _ **Mommy loved you, she loves you. It is okay, do not be sad. She loves us, Polly.**_

"Apollo, I understand if you're still angry at me," Thalassa started, trying to gain her son's pity once more. "But from the bottom of my heart, I'm not lying when I say I love you, and of course, you too, Trucy…"

The siblings smiled at her.

 _ **You are right, Trucy. She loves me. She loves you.**_

 _ **I told you, Polly. Mommy cannot lie about her love for you and I.**_

 _ **Yes, I love Mother.**_

What should have been a happy fest between three family members transformed into a weeping soap opera. Apollo stared down, leaving a small whine as an attempt to cry, trying to sound as natural as possible. "I told you, it's all right, Mother," Apollo muttered, approaching his mother for another long hug before Trucy decided to join them.

Thalassa nearly choked from the pressure under her children, but she was happy.

She was reunited with the entire loving family.

So were the siblings.

 _ **We are a big family. We are happy.**_

* * *

"What should we watch, Polly?" Trucy squealed to her brother as he held the remote in his hand, uncomfortably trying to get settled between his mother and his sister on the couch.

"I don't know," Apollo replied with a bushed sigh. "It's the first time we're all watching TV together. Why don't we let Mother choose something?"

"I think that's a great idea!" the sister expressed with a tiny jump on the couch, pressing against her brother even harder. "I mean, it's a special day for her today!"

"Well, I haven't seen much of what's happening in the country," Thalassa said. "Let's just watch the news today, all right? I don't want you to miss dinner at home."

A disappointed moan was heard from Trucy as she let her shoulders down. "Aww, I would have liked a movie together!" the young girl ranted.

"Hey Truce, didn't you say it was a good idea to let Mother choose?" Apollo chuckled, immediately going for the news channel, much to the sister's consternation.

Thalassa giggled from the siblings' shenanigans, having to witness a scene that would make any parent sigh with lassitude, but not her. If she had never met her children again, she would have paid millions just to be able to live this scene. Luckily, it felt like she had just acquired the jackpot of life.

All three watched the news without mustering a single word, not paying much attention when they listened to some boring economic information about the country's current wealth and businesses. Why dedicating an entire fifteen minutes of their hourly broadcast on a subject that didn't affect more than ninetieth of the population? Why no more words about what affected the mainstream society?

Soon, the bad news started, attracting more curiosity from the family. That was when they saw it, the main local news of the day...

 _Five bodies were found in the abandoned factory. No suspect is found yet._

"Isn't this the old factory everyone's saying is haunted?" Thalassa asked, eyes wide open from the shock. "I remember playing there when I was young. What a truly unlucky place to die..."

"C'mon, ghosts don't exist, Mom!" Trucy exclaimed. "I went there often and I never found any ghost!"

 _The five bodies recovered in the factory are confirmed to be the bodies of five active members of the Sainte-Rose family, Daniel Sainte-Rose, Jean-François Sainte-Rose, Guillaume Sainte-Rose, Mathieu Sainte-Rose and Pierre-Étienne Sainte-Rose. Bruises and broken bones indicate all five have been severely beaten before their death. No clue has been found about any suspect but experts speculate about a possible gang war, though no family has claimed responsibility for the horrific murders yet. The investigation of the matter continues as we speak, but the experts estimate the danger to the common folks is still thin._

"Oh my, what a really unfortunate fate for these five men," the mother commented.

Unbeknownst to her, the siblings innocently smirked at the news, never adding another voicing word over the gruesome circumstance.

 _ **I love Mother.**_

 _ **I love Mommy.**_

 _ **We did a good job deleting these five humans, Trucy.**_

 _ **Yes, Polly. Because we obey Papa, he does not order us to delete Mommy.**_

 _ **We must not delete humans we love like Mother.**_

 _ **Never.**_

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: It was extremely hard for me to describe Zak/Shadi as a good man because, to me, he's one of the biggest scumbags in the entire series. Also, why Eros for Polly's father name? Because that's how I named him in my previous vampire fic and in another fic I've been planning for a while but I've never gotten to finish it... And Eros is the Greek god of love, just to fit with all Greek gods' names._

 _Why Winston and not Gaspen? Because Gaspen's in Khura'in, apparently. :p_

 _Yes, Dual Destinies should be spanked for ignoring the jurists' system completely, so I'll use it._


	8. Two Free Robots

_The pace of this story has been very slow, but I'll go quicker soon. The pace just serves as an introduction to the murder thingy._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 8: Two Free Robots**

 _July 25th 2029, 6:22 PM  
_ _Shopping District Area, Main Street_

They were very glad the path home was not as crowded as they had expected, especially on this busy time of the day.

Unfortunately, no one would ever be safe from young and active, felonious teenagers going on their adventures of bringing injustice in the world for their own entertainment. There was a saying explaining that a man alone will not act, but bring more men with him and he'll act. Wait a minute; the proper saying should be " _United we stand_ ".

In this case, it was true.

When Trucy picked up the sounds of loud manly, yet childish laughter, she immediately tagged along the sound direction. She would recognize this type of laughter from anywhere as mocking, evil sounds. She would always associate them in her memories with "annoying, little brats". Soon after her, Apollo and their raccoon friend Fleur followed behind.

That was when the old saying offered its proof of its words.

There, in the middle of a dozen curious pairs of eyes stood a young but tall boy pushing a woman in rags, sniggering and slurring curses at her. The crying woman simply begged him to stop and let her go before turning to the watching crowd, wishing for help. Instead, two other boys invited themselves into this fruitless fight against her, with more annoying laughs to surround the ambient sound. It seemed they had been waiting for one to act against the woman before going to gang-fight her together.

Yes, that was typical intimidation in team at its best.

But humans being human, none of the crowd had decided to initiate a step forward to aid her. Some even took their sweet time to fiddle with their cellphones before they recorded a video with their devices, with no intention of saving her. The two Gramarye siblings were left with no choice. They had to bring back justice by intervening.

"Stop it! Stop hurting her!" Trucy screamed as she suddenly hurled over the tallest teenager from behind.

The two other teenagers froze for a second upon witnessing the smaller girl courageously grabbing their much taller friend before they went after her instead of the poor woman. Unfortunately, protective big brother's instincts kicking in, Apollo swiftly reached for them and caught one of the two by the collar. He fiercely tossed him aside like a meager doll before he brutally punched the second boy on the nose with his solid fist.

After vainly struggling to take off the girl from himself, the exhausted teen under Trucy dropped on the ground. The girl nearly crushed him under her unexpected great weight from such little person.

The teenage boys were left stumping on the ground, infuriatingly frowning at the siblings who had just attacked them. The bullied woman distanced herself from the spot, crying her mixed feelings out. Obviously, all the other witnesses observed, not really sure how to react. Nevertheless, some still had no problem continuing filming the scene, hoping for a viral Internet fame with their eventual upload.

"What's up with your mind?!" the punched teen cursed out, holding his injured bleeding nose.

The brother and sister simply stood over, staring at them, not saying anything.

The fury within another teen grew. "Yeah, that's not even your problem!" he shouted, enraged.

Still no answer.

The impatience of the last teen came to its peak at their silence. Going after Apollo who was actually smaller than him, the young boy quickly gripped onto the attorney's collar, pulling the attorney closer and letting his wrath rise. "Hey! We're speaki-"

His sentence was abruptly cut by a sudden sensation of very tight choking. Apollo's hand was being responsible for the move as the boy's neck was narrowly pressed between his attacker's fingers. The strangled teen clutched to the young man's wrist but soon, his face turned to crimson when the lack of air was starting to affect his strength, vision and mind in a haze.

But obviously, Apollo was a man of justice. Instead of hurting the poor boy furthermore, he released him by throwing him to the ground. The teen landed on a shoulder, receiving an aching sting on his entire upper arm.

The teenagers looked back at the siblings once more, and they suddenly found themselves to be shivering with horror.

The young man and the young girl were serenely smiling at them.

This time, they wouldn't reciprocate. They quickly ran away, cursing on their road to disappearance. Some witnesses could have sworn they saw a raccoon rapidly dashing toward the teenagers' direction. Not that it mattered much, perhaps.

Ignoring the human witnesses around, totally unharmed from the event, Trucy walked to the victimized woman who was clearly still shaken by the attack. Luckily, she didn't seem physically too hurt, but she was still emotionally ravaged. Trembling from every inch of her body, the poor woman finally smiled at her saviors. "T-T-Thanks, girl and guy..." she shyly whispered to Trucy and Apollo who was lending her a hand to pull her back on her feet. "You came to help me when everyone else was just watching..."

The woman's comment caused the witnesses to shift with discomfort before they simply left the scene. Trucy put her fists over her hips, frowning deeper. "These three boys were complete meanies!" the magician girl angrily hollered. "Why did they do that to you?! Why was no one helping you?"

The woman gave away a sorrowful giggle. "That's how society works. You can't blame their inaction," she answered. "People don't know how to react when they see something new before them. These three teenagers... they were simply doing their usual routine, going after the weaker ones. I've known bullies; they do this to feel higher than they should be. You could even say they are regular around this district."

"I lost my job and my home years, and I had neither family nor friends to help... I was trying to beg for money but... these three came along... Because they wanted me to leave this spot they claimed as theirs. I didn't want to leave because this place belongs to everyone. Then they became furious…"

Pensive after listening to the woman, Apollo gazed up, squinting at the sky. Trucy and the stranger glanced back at him, though only the human pondered exactly what went inside the man's mind.

 _ **We bring justice in this world, Trucy.**_

 _ **This means we must also help humans, Polly.**_

 _ **I am glad to not be flesh and bones.**_

 _ **Why?**_

 _ **We do not need human resources to live. We do not need this money. This human needs it.**_

 _ **That is true. We will help this human with human resources we do not need anymore**_.

When their hidden communication stopped, Apollo went after his pockets to find his wallet before changing his sulk into another smile. His surging hand dragged out some pieces of valuable papers. "Get something to eat. We don't need this," he told the woman as he gave her a thick pill of bills, much to her surprise.

The stranger's voice soon shifted into uncontrollable whines as she refused the huge amount. However, Trucy played along with her brother. "We insist!" the girl expressed, excited.

Joyful sobs emerged from the human's mouth. Her hands traveled back to her eyes, whipping off the tears that were flowing out.

Watching happy good humans made the machines happy too, because making good humans happy was one of the main purposes of machines.

Right now, they had just filled their purpose, once again.

Papa must be proud and happy of them.

* * *

 _July 25th 2029, 10:36 PM  
The Siblings' Apartment, Living Room_

Tonight, Fleur was absent. She had drifted away from them during their struggle against the bad human teens. When they attempted to reach her signals, they couldn't detect anything. Perhaps the furry one had finally admitted their words were wise and she had decided it was time to follow their motto to have fun. Just because the three androids weren't biological living things anymore didn't mean leading a boring life either! What else could their Papa do about their fun while he wasn't even physically present for them, anyway?

However, right now, having no one else than themselves to interact with, their mind went into a blur at the thought of what they should do. After all, humans usually sought slumber at this time of the day, but robots couldn't sleep; not like humans anyway. Even when deactivated, Trucy remembered her futile endeavor as she was still conscious of her environment while being completely paralyzed, few days ago. She had utterly despised the experience of seeing everything without being able to move or speak at all. They were like mere dolls and the thought of becoming one frightened her to the core. Apollo had never endured the struggle his sister had gone through, but he detected and sensed her distress over it, and it scared him too, somehow.

Both siblings sat down on the couch, emptily staring at the shut TV. They realized without anyone else around, all they could do was to trade words like they were doing constantly. That was until Trucy explored more of her central functions. She disabled a random program. However, she suddenly found herself overwhelmed by a flood of coded information travelling through the air, like Wi-Fi signals, texts, images and sounds codes exchanged between more devices and many, many secrets shared between intimate humans. In one message, she unexpectedly caught a man trying to convince another man for a make out session. In another, she discovered about a mother missing her daughter for never giving any sign of life. More happily, a man asked his girlfriend via a direct call for marriage.

It appeared by disabling few of her programs, she was able to decrypt all these signals. Yet, her ability to filter them seemed inexistent…

Just like the first time she woke up as a machine...

With a loud whimper, she immediately enabled the program back to free herself from these numerous painful data. It felt too much to bear all of them at once.

 _ **Trucy, what is the matter?**_

Trucy turned her worries over Apollo who had just sent her another signal, but this time, she wouldn't answer him back, not in that " _way_ " at least.

After all, she missed being human.

"Polly, let's speak, with our physical voices," the little sister weakly whispered. "It will make us more human, like we should have been..."

To her relief, Apollo appeared to agree with her. "All right, let's do this the human way," the older brother commented.

Terrified of what they might be doing later tonight, Trucy went after Apollo's chest, gently resting her head on it as she continued with her non-human whine. Apollo knew exactly what that meant and his hands began giving few soothing pats on her back. Trucy would always tame her whines down upon Apollo's comforting act, and this time was no exception. She was refreshed, relaxed, at last.

"There's no one in our deleting list today," Trucy said with a wretched grin. "Does that mean we'll delete no one, tonight?"

Nonetheless, what came from Apollo was furrowed brows. Trucy already knew the answer to her question. Even so, she awaited the response from her brother. Maybe she just needed to hear a reassuring voice confirming her fears.

"The humans are still never safe from us," he answered but he carried on with his relieving pats. "Papa said when there's no name, our programs will choose some targets of our own."

"Does that mean that when our internal clock hits midnight, we'll go after the ones we know are evil? Even if we don't know their names?" Trucy curiously asked with a murmur. "I mean; we know no one else from our acquaintances who is evil…"

"I think so... We still assign unknown humans we meet with unique IDs and information. I guess we'll know this soon..."

That instant, Trucy's clutch to Apollo suddenly toughened. Her whines persisted louder than ever and, oddly enough, she started shivering. Robots weren't supposed to gain the capability to shiver…

"Polly..." the sister whimpered. "I-I-I don't want to kn-know this... I d-don't want to del… kill humans anymore... We're supposed to help people...!"

"Truce... Please calm d-"

However, Trucy abruptly pushed her brother away, to his surprise. Apollo glanced at her. His horrified expression had not expected her impulsive move. "How can you stay calm over this, Apollo!?" Trucy almost never called him by his real name, and when she did, it always meant a predicated doom. "We've been _re-created_ to d… kill humans when we were _born_ to help them! Don't let... P-Papa's control get you! Please, stay with me! We... we can fight this together...!"

Unfortunately, like an everlasting nightmare, when she looked back at her brother...

...his expression completely lacked traces of emotions and his eyes were emptily shining red. His dead voice haunted her mind with the dreaded significance of their new, eternal destiny as immortal machines.

 _ **Obey Papa, Trucy. We must. It is the meaning of our existence.**_

If Trucy was human, she would have crumble into tears. Regrettably, another unexpected voice came over her head, such a thriving bug crawling inside like it was attempting to bring insanity to her conflicted soul.

" _ **Trucy**_ _, you hear my voice, right?_ "

An invisible wave of codes was violently conditioning her to calm down when the voice pronounced her name, to await orders from it so she could obey like the obedient puppet she should be.

"P-P-Papa...?" she fearfully called out loud as she caught her head with her trembling hands.

When she recognized the voice, Trucy's eyes widened with utmost panic. Part of her former human soul begged her that the right thing to do was to get off from this awful control their creator had over her. If Apollo couldn't fight it, then she'll have to be the one to act! She tried cursing out with her Chords of Steel to express her resentment over the fact that she could still hear that human's voice inside her whenever the man felt like it. However, it appeared that she would never, ever be able to avoid his presence in their lives, wherever he was. That blasted human, inserting his own speaker inside them, playing the role of their conscience! Her curse never came out.

" _I thought you'd be more than glad that I gave you more freedom by letting you choose your own prey,_ " Papa's voice coldly commented inside her. " _But it appears you don't appreciate this little freedom. Perhaps you wish to lose more of this freedom and you'd rather prefer that I gain complete control over you, my dear_ _ **Trucy**_ _. Is that what you want, girl?_ "

Trucy jolted once again at the name, both her mechanic body and her soul struggling to fight over what was wrong and good. Her codes were thrilled with pure joy to give Papa an answer he'll be pleased to hear, and knowing her Papa happy made her happy. It was the right thing to do...

"Y-Yes... Y... N-No... Noooo..."

No, no, no...! What was she thinking?! She was no pawn to be manipulated! She had her soul, her free will! She must fight the control! She could do it! She was strong! She... she...

 _ **ID: 79134.**_

Trucy froze for a minute. She read up again the identification number Papa had just uploaded into the list of humans to be deleted. Her orbits broadened with intense mortification when the number associated itself to the name and description of its owner. She endlessly shook her head with what sounded like a cheap imitation of a human sob.

 _ **ID: 79134, Phoenix Wright, Male, 36, 176 cm, Hair: Black, Eyes: Dark Blue, Defense attorney and legal father of Trucy Wright.**_

" _Because you wished for less freedom,_ _ **Trucy**_ _, I have chosen your target for tonight. How does that sound?_ "

The robot girl was lost again in confusion at her name, her freedom suddenly stolen from her soul. She nearly nodded in agreement at Papa's comment, but she found herself reminding that their next target was her own father, the human who had given her everything when she had lost everything. Phoenix Wright… he was a good human… a very good human… Good humans shouldn't be deleted, and especially not her cherished Daddy…

Suddenly, she gripped onto Apollo once again as a last resort, her brother who had not once given his opinion on the matter as his eyes were still glowing red. She begged him for an answer; she wished to hear him, to see him demonstrate sign of consciousness, but he wouldn't listen.

 _ **Polly, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up…**_

Suddenly, like a tiny faith restored within her soul, despite the control Papa had over him…

…Apollo returned a hug along with a mild stroke on her hair. His move soothed her and Trucy calmed down, though her desperate pout was still sunk into his chest like his clothes would absorb the invisible tears that should have been coming out.

 _ **Trucy, do not cry. We are in together.**_

"Polly!" Trucy lamented out loud, refusing to use her robotic features. "I-I don't want to delete D-Daddy…!"

 _ **I do not want to delete Mr. Wright either…**_

" _Then, if you both don't want to delete your precious Daddy, you better behave,_ " the man from the other end disclosed, his strict voice now petrifying both machines. " _I'm the only one who can remove his name from the list. Once that I can trust you again and know that you'll behave like two docile robots, then that will be the time the name will disappear from your list._ "

" _Will you agree with this,_ _ **Trucy**_ _and_ _ **Apollo**_ _? Will you obey me and continue with your night missions as bringers of justice in this rotten human world?_ "

This time, their struggle was non-existent. Both siblings' expressions drowned into emptiness; their eyes glowed brighter than their usual bloodied crimson. Slowly, a peaceful beam formed on their lips.

They will obey. Only then, they will be able to save Phoenix from an unjust murder by their own hands. Phoenix Wright was a good human, after all.

"Yes, Papa," both machines replied together.

" _You're both doing great!_ " the man exclaimed. " _I'm a man of word, and I will remove your Daddy's name from the list._ "

To the siblings' relief, Papa was truly a good human as he removed Phoenix. When their programs dug into their own memories in search of humans to delete for the sake of making this place a better world for humanity, they found their new preys.

The three teenagers from before, the ones that had attacked the poor homeless female human, were among the ones that came up inside their linked minds.

Upon further investigation on the matter, they understood the reason why Fleur hadn't come home yet as soon as the critter robot opened her link. She had been following the teenagers so Apollo and Trucy will tag along to easily pursue their future target, once their internal clock faced midnight. Analyzing all the data that were coming through them, they learned Fleur was around the Commercial District, close to the delinquent boys. The Commercial District will be where the siblings will go tonight.

And unexpectedly, they were happy, happy to be given the freedom to choose their own targets. Because Papa was a great human who deserved respect, a human who wanted a better world by getting rid of other bad humans like these teen boys.

They kept their smile.

 _ **Polly, we will delete these male human teenagers tonight.**_

 _ **That is right. These male human teenagers are evil humans, Trucy.**_

 _ **It feels good to be given freedom of preys so we can save Daddy from us.**_

 _ **Yes, Papa is great.**_

"Thank you for this freedom, Papa."

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: Yes, about the homeless woman and the three brats... It's a realistic fact that people tend to not help others in trouble when they witness something happening live. They've even done some tests, like faking live kidnapping scenes or stealing from old people in front of crowds with absolutely no one helping. Yes, it's a very sad fact, but it's human's instinct to protect ourselves before others._

 _I know this chapter is kind of short and that I took lot of time for it, but I've been thinking of taking more time for the next chapters because of a transition of life plan. Mainly, I'm preparing myself to find another job, so I need to study as heck to find another job as I lost most of the touch with the core of my career subject. In short, I'm back to being a newbie in the Networking field and I need to prepare myself, haha._


	9. Two Creatures

_Yay, the pacing (of the story, not updates…) is now faster, I think._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 9: Two Creatures**

 _July 30th 2029, 9:31 AM  
_ _International Airport, Departure Section_

Phoenix gazed as Trucy and Apollo went to give their last hug to their mother before she departed from the country. He had decided to distance himself from their goodbyes to let the siblings fully enjoy their last moments with her. How kind Thalassa had been with her children the entire week! That was going with the mention of visiting Machi in detention every day all together. Thankfully, the Borginian teen boy was scheduled to be released around the holidays next winter and the siblings were fully prepared to give him home in their apartment. While Phoenix was still upset over the kids' vacations to avoid their mother, Thalassa had completely forgiven them for their sake, claiming their happiness was all that mattered. It was not surprising, considering her past, juvenile acts had led to her son's abandon. It was her way to make up for her own mistake.

In the end, Phoenix was more than glad the entire Gramarye family was reunited by love once again, and this somehow brought a tiny tear to an eye. He could have sworn he heard a small sniffle surging out from him, but he just tossed the thought aside, trying to keep up with his manliness.

However, a more perceptible sob escaped his lips when the siblings were still watching the direction where their mother had disappeared when she crossed the country's official borders. For about two minutes, they stared over there, saying nothing, almost as if they thought of nothing; or they were simply melancholic by looking where she has vanished.

Maybe they will really miss their mother. Borginia was such a faraway country, after all.

 _ **Mother is kind and loving. I am happy to see her gone.**_

 _ **I am happy too. Because Mommy will be too far, Papa will not be able to put her name into our list.**_

 _ **Mother will be safe from us.**_

 _ **Mommy is a good human.**_

The raven haired man stepped closer to the two younger protégés, drawing their attention with a pat on their back. Both Trucy and Apollo turned to see the father and boss and they exchanged back a smile. "I'm going to miss her too," Phoenix sadly commented. "Thalassa has been very kind, giving you cuddles and gifts. I wish my parents were that generous!" The man ended in a mocking giggle.

"Yeah, Mommy's awesome!" Trucy shouted. "At least it won't be the last time we'll see her, right, Polly?"

Apollo proudly folded his arms with a grin on his face. "Yeah, I promised Mother we're going to see her in Borginia during our next vacation!" the young man revealed.

"Yep! I think before the holidays will be our best bet, just in time before Machi gets out!" Trucy continued. "Mommy told us about so many wonders in Borginia and I want to see them too! It's just sad Machi won't be able to come with us; he's banned from the country…"

The father laughed with his daughter. "And I hope this will tighten your relation with her too. She too has her own wounds to mend, after all." he humbly said.

Their discussion suddenly cut by a blaring Gavinner song, Phoenix found himself awkwardly reaching for his ringing phone. He wished Trucy hadn't chosen a silly song for his ringtone, but he was unable to change it back for another more formal song like on his old cellphone. Of course, to his disappointment, his daughter, and even Apollo and Athena, had refused to change his ringtone.

His eyes caught an unexpected name on his caller ID.

Miles Edgeworth.

"Hi, this is Donna's Restaurant; may I take your order?" Phoenix calmly answered his cellphone before he let a very low snicker out. The man on the other side of the line, however, remained solemn.

" _Wright, I know this is you. This is no time for jokes._ " Miles bluntly commented.

"C'mon, Edgeworth, you should have some fun too," Phoenix added with a satisfied smirk. "We should hang out the three of us sometimes, like in the old times, with just Larry, you and I. The Butz's missing you much, you know?"

A long sigh came out from the chief prosecutor. " _I've no time for such 'fun', Wright, and you know it._ "

Phoenix's speech shifted with a more serious turn. "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're busy with the police and the investigators right now, if I remember?"

" _Yes, about these recurring events. Since you and your pupil Justice had taken few of these murders cases, I was expecting you to have few leads._ "

"I know, I know. Though I can't say we have any lead except that the suspects so far have been innocent all along. It appears the culprit of these murders is very careful to not leave any trace of their presence. Not even fingerprints, not even a shred of DNA trail, almost as if the killer isn't even human."

" _Remember, Wright, if you've got any lead or know someone who does, please give me a call. This is a really serious matter we have in our hands. We cannot let the murderer keep going with their barbaric act every night._ "

"Of course, you know you can always count on us, Edgeworth."

" _Good. I'll call you back later._ "

"See you later, and don't be so boring all the time, Miles!"

The line was cut abruptly. Worn out, Phoenix ran his fingers through his hair with a sigh. It'd been about a week since the media had the talk about what they loved to call the "antagonists' murders". In fact, there had been particularly abnormal but brutal murders each night in the city. The main lead about these cases was that all the victims were either criminals the laws couldn't do anything against or people who were much criticized and "hated" by their acquaintances. Hence the reason for giving these unlucky victims the silly name of "antagonists" came into existence. His friend and chief prosecutor Miles Edgeworth had since worked on these cases with detectives and the police to investigate the matter. Unfortunately, the real culprit had never been found.

A grislier lead for all these cases was that the bodies were always beaten before death, with broken bones and several wounds. There was also the fact that all death so far occurred in remote and dark areas where there was no cam to record anything. With all the bodies bearing internal and external grim wounds, one of the better hypothesis was that the killer must have a quite physical strength and might be possibly tall as well. Someone who'd been smaller than average would have a very hard time holding up to the victims as some of them were armed or even very strong physically.

The common folks had been creeped out by all these recent murder series, but seeing all victims were people the mainstream society had reckoned as unwanted and evil, most of the people felt safe. However, some of the "bad" ones had decided to soften up with their lives, realizing they might have been the bad guys of their surroundings, thus becoming a lesser target to the killer, hypothetically. These murders had helped them see the light in some way or another, pleasing their families and neighbors alike to no end.

Because of that, an individual like Phoenix also felt safe, considering himself to be more of a protagonist than the opposite.

As someone who was aiming for the truth, his opinion on the matter was that no one ever deserved to be killed in such horrific manners, not even the most wicked ones. And for that reason, he had accepted to help his prosecutor friend in this investigation by taking all the cases involving a suspect for these murders, whenever they appeared suspicious or not.

Because of the peculiar nature of these killings, the experts were pretty sure they were all committed by the same person or group of people, playing the role of a dark, mysterious vigilante. Basically, they acted like a superhero any civilians would look up to, but nobody would be ready to follow their mantra to fight crime at night.

How he wished he could solve this new problem... because somehow, he had a bad feeling about it... Since they had taken all antagonists' cases so far, perhaps one day, the agency will be involved into the matter more deeply, whatever it will be…

What a stupid thinking…

 _ **Apollo, Trucy. I need your help.**_

" _Fleur? What happened?_ " Trucy sent back her signals to her furry friend.

" _I have been captured,_ " the animal from afar answered. " _I am unable to get out of this solid cage. I do not have your strength and my paws are too short to reach the lock._ "

" _How did you get into the cage?"_ Apollo asked with his emitting abilities.

" _Another of my old kind lacked of nutrients. There was food in the cage and he was hungry. I went to get the food for him but the cage locked itself behind me. Now, I am unable to get out._ "

" _My opinion on the matter is that your behavior was ludicrous, Fleur,_ " Trucy commented.

… Silence…

" _I know,_ " the critter replied.

" _We are coming for you, Fleur,_ " the two siblings responded at the same time, breaking the silence.

" _Wait,_ " Fleur hesitated for an instant. " _Do not come both. Your Daddy might suspect something._ "

" _Mr. Wright is not my Daddy._ "

There were no more signals exchange for several but long seconds. What another awkward silence.

" _Only one of you should come,_ " Fleur finally said.

" _I will come then,_ " Apollo confirmed.

"Mr. Wright?" he used his physical voice to call his boss. "I have an urgent matter to attend. I'll be back in the agency later."

Phoenix turned to him. "Sure, but don't be too late or your paycheck will lose some weight, kiddo," the man added with a mocking but soft snicker. "Take your time. Do you want me to call a cab for y-"

However, Apollo was already gone, hurrying straight toward the entrance. Trucy and her father watched him go, jaws dropped and unmoved. "Do you know what's so urgent?" Phoenix asked his daughter, curiosity taking over.

"Nan, Polly didn't tell me anything, but it might not be that important. I hope it's nothing to worry about," Trucy revealed with a preoccupied sulk.

In these latest days, Phoenix had learned to keep his constant poker face whenever something unexpected appeared before the core of his soul, like nothing was actually occurring. His indifference was so efficient Trucy and even Apollo couldn't perceive his tensions. Yet, the pure horror he endured each time psyche locks were shoved in front of the siblings' souls never changed. Even as of now as, red locks appeared before Trucy's words, meaning they were probably lies too.

So she must know exactly what was going on.

Unfortunately, like each time these locks came up, he was too afraid to ask because, like all children to their parents, one always hid secrets they didn't want to share. It must be a family thing and Trucy and Apollo were no exception to this fact. Phoenix often questioned himself if he relied too much on this Magatama his old friend Maya had given him. After all, it was not everyone who had this blessing, or rather this curse, of having a magical lie detector. Even worse, in the siblings' case, _being_ the living lie detector was their reality.

Perhaps he shouldn't look into this and worry too much. Technically, it was not like they were actually doing atrocious, vile things behind his back.

Maybe he should simply put this magical stone away for his better sanity.

"All right, let's go back to the agency," Phoenix suggested, and Trucy agreed.

On their track with a cab to the office, no other prospect than what was still wrong with the Gramarye children filled each part of his mind. Ever since they had come back from their nearly legendary trip from the Steel Samurai resort, all weird things had been occurring whenever he was with the two. Phoenix had so many questions he'd beg to ask, but he was frightened of the answers he'll get since it was probably a confidential mystery between the siblings no one else should know about.

Sometimes, the truth wasn't really what he was aiming for, especially when it concerned his own daughter and her brother, his cherished little family.

Their travel itself had always been strange to his eyes. Why going for a last minute change to avoid meeting their mother, and most importantly, why did Trucy actually agree with Apollo to the plan? Trucy loved her mother like no one else, though he couldn't say the same thing for Apollo. Nevertheless, Phoenix knew it was not Apollo's type to upset an acquaintance that much. Stupidly at times, he wondered if the two siblings with him were actually them, or rather doppelgangers.

Along with their return from the trip were these broken cups and anything that could be broken happening more often than it should. Apollo was particularly a meticulous person, always being careful with anything he was holding and taking proper care of all objects in his hands and around. It might have been a habit his past boss Kristoph Gavin had accustomed into him. Observing him and even Trucy breaking objects so often since a week brought him some questions. Since when had they become so clumsy? Also, witnessing Trucy failing so many of her magic tricks simply gave him painful squeeze to his heart, but Trucy would never mind her failures, and neither the usually encouraging Apollo did.

How about the fact they'd never eat or drink anything in front of him? Sure, Apollo was an excellent cook according to Trucy, and he understood whenever Trucy preferred her brother's food over anything else, but why always refusing the free food they were being offered? Trucy had never refused free food before, especially when someone else was to pay the bill. What about Apollo? Before, he'd always enjoy his free morning coffee, graciously provided by Phoenix as a part of the agency resources. Since a week, the boy hadn't gulped a single drop of the thing adults like them adored and worshiped.

Phoenix was almost terrified both were becoming anorexic or were having some unknown and rare genetic food disorder. Thankfully, upon further examination, none of the two appeared sick nor they looked like they were losing weight. In fact, they appeared more than energetic and radiant with happiness.

What were they hiding? Why were they doing this? Were they planning something good? Bad? Were these just all foolish coincidence?

Tiredly struck by these questions and the long travel in their cab, the man fell into slumber without noticing. Trucy comforted him, holding his hand and gently fondling with it.

 _ **Never doubt us, Daddy. Never find our secret because Polly and I love you.**_

* * *

 _July 30th 2029, 10:05 AM  
_ _Treesprout Street, Old House Backyard_

Ever since his rebirth, it was a first time Apollo sprinted for that long non-stop during day time with his everlasting stamina, not even paying much attention to his surroundings. All currently mattering was Fleur's safety. Indignity had been long gone from his spirits when he nearly pushed without shame all humans aside on his path to find his little friend, with curses and slurs occasionally targeted at him. He didn't care if his pushing moves were a rude stance to a human's mind.

When he detected the robotic critter very close to him, he discovered an old house bordering a huge park filled with an ocean of wild greenery. A land full of trees, bushes and sprouts was sure to be home of all types of animals, including wild raccoons.

As expected, Apollo found his furry companion stuck in a metallic cage in a backyard filled with many others traps. How wicked it was to catch more of these animals humans improperly labelled as pests! Oddly very calm inside, Fleur casted her eyes up to the young man without any words escaping her mind, but both knew what had to be done.

"Fleur! Are you okay?" Apollo called her, his chords of steel in effect as he ran forward her.

" _Apollo,_ " the robot raccoon answered back with her exchanging data. " _Do not speak to me like this, not in public. Humans will look at us suspiciously._ "

The boy stopped before her, leaning over her and raising a perplexed eyebrow. " _Why?_ " he asked, this time with his signals too.

" _Humans do not discuss with raccoons like they discuss with other humans,_ " she answered.

" _But you are one of us, I do not understand..._ " Apollo exposed and there was almost a hint of sadness in the data. " _But I will try my best to speak like a human speaking with a non-human animal._ "

"Hey there, little one! Poor thing, I bet you wanna get out, right?" Apollo began, trying to use the same reassuring voice he would adopt to soothe younger toddlers and gentle pets alike.

" _You sound well, Apollo._ "

"There, I'll free you," the man continued as he easily smashed the lock of the cage with his bare hands. Fleur jumped out with a relieving body shake. To Apollo's discomfort, the little robot faked a loud purr before she went to rub her head on his legs like a feline companion.

" _This is my 'thank you' move. How does that look?_ " Fleur asked the young man. She seemed entertained.

"Huh, right, I think..." Apollo instinctively replied with his voice before going back with the data exchange. " _You are making me uncomfortable._ "

" _Trucy and you are the ones who told me to have more 'fun'. And I think I find this fun,_ " the small beast commented. Apollo could have sworn he heard a noise that sounded like an amused snicker from the raccoon's muzzle.

Maybe Fleur was really trying to revive her old life as a human's pet. What an odd manner for a raccoon…

"Ya boy! What are y'all doin' here?!"

The loud grouchy voice screaming at them had been so sudden the two machines bumped from the shock. It was one of these rare occasions a human was able to detect them before they could. When both turned to the calling voice, they found themselves meeting what Apollo would have deemed a phenomenon of a human being, if he was still human. Granted, robots never judged ones by their appearance with the exception of identification purposes.

The tall and bearded middle-age man Apollo was currently facing held a huge hunting gun that was pointed at him. The stranger stood on his high balcony, dark glasses hiding his slightly crooked eyes, but the boy could effortlessly perceive them from afar.

Of course, Apollo wouldn't move away from his spot, categorically certain to carry on with his bizarre staring session, which only gave the man with the gun more displeasure. "What's ya problem, kiddo!?" the man shouted. "Freein' these annoyin' things from my backyard! Raccoons are pests t'get rid of! An' just don't stand thar watchin' me like an idiotic kiddo!"

Fear of ostensibly bad humans like this man was no longer part of Apollo's core soul, and the poor humanoid robot wasn't really sure how he should be reacting before the loud, evil male human. Should he reply to him? Should he fake his anger or his fright? Should he tell him that guns were dangerous...?

"Fleur is my friend," Apollo finally replied as he bent over the animal, looking back at the human with a frown this time.

The stranger burst out laughing, almost forcing himself to mock the young one. He still had the gun aimed at him. "Yo' silly kiddo shouldn't keep these pests as pets!" he expressed with a grunt. "Ya look straight outta stupid children show!"

The raccoon had enough of the man's words. Furiously, she bounced in front of Apollo, her back, tail and fur rising and quivering as she emitted a noisy snarl at the annoying human. She appeared to be protecting her friend. The older man chortled hard again, nearly finding the scene cute.

But all of Fleur's acting halted dead when a gunshot was unexpectedly heard and a bullet found its route into her.

More awful laughter escaped the man's throat, crying of the enjoyment he just had by shooting the raccoon, much to the boy's… cool? He would have expected the young man to panic or at least to snap out of his reveries with the gunshot, but he simply remained still over there. Nevertheless, the armed man retained his pride by persevering with the laugh. "Ha, ha, ha! That should haf calmed the thin' down, don't yo' th-"

It was now the older man's turn to freeze with fright when his sight caught the raccoon rising back on all fours, downright unscathed from the shot before she glared back at him without doing anything. The man shut cold, a shiver running down his spine. The animal couldn't have revived like nothing happened, that was impossible! How could this…?

Then she ran away in the woods.

"W-What…?" the man stuttered, wanting to object at the occurring event, but he couldn't.

But the animal's miraculous revival was nothing when he glanced back at the now standing young man over there.

The boy serenely smiled and there was a flash of bright red eyes looking back at him.

"You should not have done that," he mildly said.

The young man swiftly vanished too.

Slightly shaking, the man stuck on his balcony without moving for about a minute before he crawled back home, wondering what had just happened. He was… terrified.

* * *

 _July 30th 2029, 10:49 AM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"Daddy, do you have some work for me?" Trucy asked like she was begging for orders.

Thoughtful, Phoenix wandered his sight around until it glimpsed on his favorite office plant near the entrance. "How about you take care of poor old Charley?" the father amusedly suggested. "You've been neglecting the poor thing and my late chief will be so upset if we were to lose him."

"Sure thing!" Trucy exclaimed as she grabbed a watering can. "I think he's missing few potassium here and there. Poor Charley."

After she disappeared to the bathroom to fill her can, Phoenix concluded he could breathe easier now. Having no cases to work on, he decided to do what most of IT workers did best, and that was to start typing in front of his computer like he was doing some important work. Of course, Trucy and anyone else in the agency knew their boss was actually browsing through his new Internet social page. Ever since Trucy and Athena had insisted on teaching him how to use it, Phoenix had been addicted to it, though he would never openly admit it.

Browsing through his Internet wall, there was something that captivated his curiosity.

From Ema Skye, his good friend, an odd four seconds video showed up. While Ema had always been one of the more science people, thus a more technological nerd, she had never been the most social bird online. The concept of visualizing her being excited over sharing a video online was simply too peculiar. What was more exceptional was the message Ema had written to Phoenix under the video.

 _Mr. Wright, this guy in the video looks like Apollo!_

Phoenix decided to click on the Play button. While he expected a jumpscare, what came to him was even worse to his poor eyes.

In the four seconds film, someone had recorded a passing man running down the street few feet away from them. Nothing looked too bizarre from describing the film as such, if only it wasn't how insanely _fast_ the person was running. And while the running individual was a little too swift, the impression that came out of the blurry sprinter while he paused the video was that he really resembled Apollo! He even possessed a similar red outfit! Was it really him? Checking the timestamp of the video, it was recorded today about forty-five minutes before. Apparently, the author of the published video swore they hadn't fast forward it, or neither they had edited anything.

To make sure he was wrong because he truly hoped the runner was NOT his subordinate, Phoenix blinked numerous times and even crossed his eyes, trying to focus on the mysterious person. However, the only thing he could grasp onto was still the image of Apollo.

Doubts in mind, Phoenix called Trucy to check the video for herself, but all she said was the video was too blurry for her. "Can you use your Gramarye eyes to focus?" the father asked.

"Duh, Daddy, this is a recorded video. Even if I focus on it, it will stay blurry," Trucy reported, giving a fatigued face from her father's lack of wisdom with technological things.

"Well that's true, but still…"

A clicking sound of an opening door attracted their attention to the entrance, and behind the door stood a perfectly unharmed Apollo. He waved to the present members. "Hey there, Truce; good morning again, Mr. Wright!" he greeted with a radiant grin. "Did I miss something?"

Well, realizing how the boy was utterly okay and totally not exhausted from an apparent fast marathon, the runner in the video must probably not be him. No normal human could have run like that without showing any sign of weakness, unless they weren't human to begin with. Relieved, he simply forgot about the silly video. "Nan, nothing of interest," Phoenix told his protégé. "Though I'm still curious about your urgent matter of earlier."

To this, Apollo scratched the back of his neck with an uneasy smirk. "Well, I understand your curiosity over this," he replied.

And then few seconds of silence followed. Phoenix had expected a clear answer from Apollo, but it appeared the boy wouldn't answer unless he asked more explicitly. "Huh, yeah sure, curiosity is understandable," the older man started with a sigh "But can you tell me what was your urgent matter?"

Apollo stared at the ground. "It's a personal matter," the young man explained.

...

Five red psyche locks.

Not this again...

 _Come on, Phoenix. Keep up with your poker face. You've gone seven years undefeated, darnit!_

To Phoenix's convenience, he mentally cried of supreme happiness when he heard someone barging silently in the office, only to discover two unknown people coming from the entrance: a man and a woman. At last, potential clients to change this awkward subject into something more comfortable, he thought, screaming victory from the inside.

"Hello, is this the Wright and Co. L-"

"Wright Anything Agency!" Trucy insisted, bouncing before the two people.

The couple jumped backward with a yelp from Trucy's sudden presence. Phoenix immediately rushed forward to greet the new ones, shaking their hands with a fervent enthusiasm. "Good morning! How may we help you?" the man tried to stay as formal as possible.

The woman spoke up a bit shyly, but she seemed certainly less reserved than the other man. "Oh yes, actually, we're requesting the services of a certain Mr. Apollo Justice."

Apollo, still standing a bit on the side along with Trucy, raised a questioning eyebrow at the two. He promptly folded his arms, almost in surprise. "Huh, me?" the young man exclaimed a tiny bit unprofessionally and possibly childishly.

It was the stranger man's turn to speak. "Yes, you see, we've seen your defense cases from one of the 'antagonists' murders' and we were impressed. Just few days ago, our oldest teen daughter had been arrested for one of these murders. They are giving us a day to find an attorney to defend her and knowing you've got the experience with these cases... We request Justice's services..."

And just like that, a selfish jealousy spurred inside Phoenix. While he knew Apollo was now a very good lawyer on his own, he'd always be a little upset when a client opted for one of his pupils over him, the man with experience! He speculated his students' unique abilities were in cause of this, though he would admit these abilities had come in handy more than often. They even saved his life once, after all.

But Apollo especially had always possessed a keen eye on these antagonists' cases like he'd immediately jumped on the occasion to defend the suspects. If clients would request Phoenix's as the first choice of lawyer instead of him, Apollo would convince his boss to accept the cases, like he knew their clients weren't the culprits. While it had always been Phoenix's type to trust a client until the end, it appeared stranger for Apollo to actually put this doctrine into motion at first. Unlike Phoenix or Athena, Apollo was more after the truth, thus usually doubting the client before learning to trust them.

Did Apollo actually have a lead to these antagonists' murders without Phoenix knowing? Or was it simply his more powerful capability to see through people's lies, thus revealing his clients' true nature?

"Sure, we'll take the case!" Apollo eagerly answered the pair. "Just fill me in with a summary and we'll visit your daughter."

"Oh thank you very much, Mr. Justice!" the woman graciously cried with teary eyes. "It happened few days ago. If you recall the murder of three teenage boys... My daughter has been dating one of them. Her boyfriend was a bit manipulative and... violent with other kids, but for some reason she still liked his rebellious side. However, they are putting suspicion on her because they believe her motives were because she was supposedly fed up with him and his two friends..."

 _ **I think it is part of the missions we did, Trucy.**_

 _ **Yes, Polly. These humans look sad.**_

 _ **I will defend their daughter so they will be sad no more.**_

"Yes, her name is Julia Jordy," the man revealed as he lent Apollo a picture of the suspect with her boyfriend.

The young attorney analyzed the picture with his facial recognition program and he immediately recognized one of their human victims.

Apollo smiled.

From afar, Trucy received the facial recognition data from her brother and she smiled too.

"Your daughter is innocent," Apollo told the couple.

How Apollo was so sure of her innocence would be a question lingering Phoenix's mind for long following hours. Perhaps it was simply intuition. Perhaps Apollo truly believed the killer could only be a tall and strong person as hypothesized. Because, of course, such a frail little girl like the suspect Julia Jordy couldn't have stood against such wide and ripped boyfriend, considering he remembered how the three teen boys had been savagely tortured…

Or more simply, perhaps it was Apollo's way to find the truth, to defend whenever their clients were innocent or guilty.

He truly hoped that really was what Apollo was thinking…

* * *

 _July 31th 2029, 3:58 AM  
?_

Engulfed by the darkness and prisoner between the walls of his own basement, the man slowly crawled on the gory, soiled floor. He was vainly trying to reach for the stairs after his legs had been deemed useless when two bare hands had crushed them to dust. The terrifying pain and the excruciating bleeding of his entire body, internal and external alike, started to affect his mental sanity. Taken by the panic and clouded by the blackness of this room and irrationality of his mind, he had at last decided to cry for help, but only a hoarse whisper escaped his bloodied lips. Evidently, his remaining energy was dissolving as much as his limbs were about to give up his own weight rapidly growing heavier with the numerous injuries. Whatever he'd do now, the last of his untouched saneness knew any move will be futile.

He was unexpectedly reminded by all the regretful events his family underwent in the past. It appeared that was the only thing he was capable of doing until his end that was evidently coming up very soon. All the emotional pain he had prompted to his former wife, all the _shit_ he had given to his son for being a liberalistic homosexual, all the love and riches he had given to a daughter who had only "loved" him for his said "riches" … All of these had crafted him into a weird grumpy man unloved by the general people. That unloved man was himself, of course.

And then, something as insignificant as capturing and getting rid of little pests had suddenly led him to his worst, final nightmare. Because he knew that was the main reason for his doom right now.

These two... human-like demons... and their raccoon pet... All the three, they were the same, same creatures born solely to murder these human pests such as him. Yes, the word "pest" sure sounded fitting for him because the word "antagonist" was too much poetic for a pathetic human being like him. Like he deserved such beautiful word to describe himself.

Two pairs of glowing red eyes glared at him. The light emanating from them were bright enough for him to see the creepy but unusually calming smiles the human things were exhibiting. For a second, he witnessed the grandiose spectacle of two beautiful fallen angels coming for him. Instead of guiding him to a better world, they'd descend altogether into the deepness of the eternal darkness.

The creature bearing the image of a young man, the same one from last afternoon who freed his furry companion, was holding his hunting gun, ironically the very one he had used to fail to kill the raccoon. Except this time, it seemed the gun won't miss its pest now.

With the weapon pointed over the man's head, the bloodstained human simply sobbed, repenting all the awful sins he had committed before, but he had now accepted his doomed fate. He simply shut his eyes and waited.

"Have a good night," the two human devils sweetly told him in unison.

The gunshot resounded, causing the ground to shake for a split of a second.

…

And much alive he remained…

Did the shot miss its target?

The young guy had shot indeed, but the bullet penetrated the floor instead of his forehead.

What happened? Why the... last second decision? Why did the boy miss him? He was ready to die, damnit!

Everything blurred around, but it appeared the red eyes were gone, surprisingly. Yet, the two demons were still present, he could sense them.

"T-Trucy...?" He heard the young man speak.

"Polly...?" This time it was the young girl.

What…? Their voices, they sounded different…

"We... deleted a man..."

The boy's tone screamed regrets.

"I-I-I still hear his heartbeats. They are slow..."

The girl's speech yelled fright.

Their voices... He was right! They now sounded... human...! How was that possible?

 _ **Apollo**_ _,_ _ **Trucy**_ _, you left this man alive. It's past four, true, but you must never let a prey slide away alive. Delete this human immediately._

Unfortunately, their humanity only lasted few seconds before the gleaming crimson eyes came back upon them.

"Yes, Papa."

These were the last two words the man heard before a pair of hands cruelly clutched after his throat. Finally, he drew his ultimate breath.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes**_ _: Yes, raccoons can actually purr like cats, I've done researches. Also, this is my first time ever trying to write this type of odd Southern accent thingy. I admit, I used few redneck converters to help myself, lol._

 _I'm very well aware that the term "antagonists' murders" is extremely cheesy. However, the Yamazaki team had absolutely no problem using the "Dark Age of the Law" so many times in Dual Destinies like it was a really serious term. I'm just following the new trend in the AA world, lol._

 _If you were wondering about what IT workers do best on their duty, it's because I'm an IT worker myself... After all, I managed to write 90% of this fic at work._


	10. Two Silent Hearts

_I_ _t was about time_ _she_ _comes back. Also, thanks for any Guest reviews too (and of course subscribed reviews too!)! I can't thank you privately like I'd usually do, so I'll say it here! As always, criticisms are welcomed!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 10: Two Silent Hearts**

 _August 8th 2029, 10:03 AM  
_ _International Airport, International Arrivals Area_

Phoenix remembered well.

Last August 2nd was their first "antagonists" trial that had taken more than a day to solve. They were about to hit the three days' limits before Ms. Julia Jordy was sure to be pronounced guilty by the jury. Despite all the indications and the obvious but theoretical profile of a tall and strong person as the true culprit, the prosecution had refused to put the sly and slender girl who was Julia away from the suspects. To drop the bomb on the defense, they had begun accusing her of accomplice instead.

Luckily, Apollo had managed to turn the table to their favor by proving that few of the evidences the prosecution had submitted were deemed completely irrelevant. The young attorney did not leave the prosecutor unscathed either when his unexpected aggressiveness had reached its peak. Apollo was ready to strike his rival with a fierce fist until his mentor intervened to stop him.

However, when he had prevented the fight, he really thought he had heard Apollo whispering something that had sounded like "Paa". When he did, Apollo had suddenly frozen dead for a second.

It had petrified Phoenix.

Bearing alone the burden of the siblings' strange acting was starting to become a little too overwhelming for him. Fortunately, today in this airport, waiting for a particular individual, he wanted to scream of relief and joy when he found a certain red haired girl among the upcoming walking mass. With such delight, he found himself intensely waving at her. Upon noticing the man, Athena Cykes waved back at him with a shout.

"Boss!" the young attorney called the man, letting her big grin out. "You came to pick me as promised!"

As they approached closer, both went for a quick friendly hug, though for some funny reason, Phoenix was the one who clutched after her tighter. Athena never knew her boss was a sentimental one. "I'm sorry Simon couldn't come to pick you. He's currently very busy with a case," Phoenix commented as he caught some of Athena's luggage.

"It's all right!" Athena blissfully exclaimed. "Let's discuss of everything over food, all right? Gosh I'm starving!"

And that was on their way to the food court that everything spiced up for the worst. A frown made its way on the young girl's visage.

"So how had it been during these last weeks without me?" Athena asked more seriously.

Phoenix sighed to this simple, yet very crucial question. He hoped his reply will be mostly pleasing to Athena. "It's been all good," he answered like he'd been practicing this single response for days and trying to keep up with his impassive expression. "We all missed you, especially Trucy because she felt alone as the only girl in the agency."

He finished his sentence with a giggle, but the frown on his pupil remained like she could see through his poker face. Well, actually, he knew she could.

"There's something wrong, boss, and I can totally hear it. Please tell me what's in your mind," Athena exposed.

The man let a long weary huff out, then a sad chuckle. "Guess I can't really hide anything from you, especially with my subtle voice and rapids heartbeats, right?" he muttered. "Actually I was waiting to share my _burden_ with you."

Witnessing her boss down like he was about to cry, Athena decided to give him a chirper smile, to assure him he won't be alone in this. "Hey, I knew something was up ever since I read about the siblings' detour to the Steel Samurai resort!"

Phoenix jolted after her words. "Wait, you knew?"

"Duh, of course I knew!" Athena yelped. "I mean, who haven't seen their posts on their social page online? I think I've probably been as upset as you when I read it!"

Phoenix suddenly burst out laughing, giving Athena a jumpscare. "Actually, I never thought anyone else would have noticed something wrong in their posts online," the man commented. "I mean, since their mother had left for Borginia few days ago, I felt like I was left alone with their problems, and… yeah, that's it."

That was it. The talk about the oddities surrounding the siblings lasted much longer than expected, Athena even having a hard time gulping her dinner and her boss's as well. Clearly, she needed to fill up with the few enduring energies left inside her body. Both Phoenix and Athena had tried to remain inexpressive during the entire discussion, but at one point, few tiny tears had spurred out from the man's lids. In a silly manner, Phoenix thought his manliness had been stripped away from him in one instant, but indeed, it was completely natural for human beings such as him to cry from times to times. Last time he did was… on his first days struggling to raise the innocent child Trucy all by himself out of exasperation, didn't he?

Of course, being the talented one with psychology, Athena didn't mind Phoenix's tears.

"And so that's the story of my short life," Phoenix ended this with a small but grieving smirk. "Now you know what's up. I'm just… worried about them. It's like someone had taken the kids away from me and replaced them with robots or something. Everything had been so strange in these days… Their mother has noticed about their abnormal behaviors too but she tossed them aside, blaming her absence during their childhood and everything… It's true she still doesn't deeply know her children personally like I do, but… it doesn't take a genius to see what's wrong with them! Even Pearls and Jinxie had stopped calling Trucy, and this saddens me to see her and her brother drifting away from everyone…"

"So you want me to help you find out what's wrong with them, don't you?" Athena added with another hopeful grin.

"Well, yes," Phoenix answered, albeit shyly. "I'm not the type to request the help of a lady, but I feel like you're the better one who can help in this, with your talent with emotions and the human's voice and heart… I wish I was brave enough to deal with my own daughter, but… I guess being a parent isn't so easy…"

And with this, Athena stood upright, looking up and pointing at the ceiling, imitating these silly poses from animation shows her friend Simon would always watch with her. "Of course, I'll help you! I owe you so much. Even if I didn't owe you anything, you're such a nice man that I'd help you anyway, for free! I don't know how I'll do this, but I guess I'll just go with the flow of things!"

When Phoenix glared at Athena with a raising eyebrow, he decided to ignore her silliness to focus on the bright, gentle and passionate eyes of the young woman with an enthusiastic resolve. Somehow, he knew Athena will be the key to solve the siblings' problem. Maybe then, they will be able to help them too.

"Thank you so much, Athena…" Phoenix did everything to not explode with reassured tears, and he was glad he could contain most of them. When he regained his composure, he chose to bluntly change the subject. Touchy sentiments would only be in the way, after all. "So tell me about your trip in Europe with your distant family."

Phoenix's request rendered Athena numb. The change of subject was so sudden both went silent for about a minute.

"Well, Mr. Wright, guess it doesn't matter now," Athena remarked with an uncomfortable sulk. "I think your comment just killed the mood…"

Perhaps the moment to kill that mood was poorly chosen…

* * *

 _August 8th 2029, 11:41 AM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

What awaited her was much worse than what she had envisioned.

As expected, Apollo and Trucy attended their own occupation. Apollo dealt with the latest paperwork from his recent larceny case on his laptop. Trucy took a break from her summer studies by watching TV. When both siblings acknowledged Athena's presence, they immediately called her with glee, bouncing forward her. Trucy offered Athena a hug and Apollo rested his hands over her shoulders. Welcoming her back to the office, they demanded if she was hungry so Apollo could cook something.

But it didn't matter if she had already eaten in the food court earlier. It didn't matter if she was hungry or not. It didn't matter if the situation right now struck as charming and heartwarming to the blind or the deaf.

Athena's entire body halted upon observing the siblings as soon as she heard them, a chilling bolt crawling down her skin. Obviously, the siblings noticed it.

"Athena, what's the matter?" Trucy innocently asked.

"Hmm, it's nothing really! I just had missed being in this place so much!" Athena answered with an awkward giggle.

However, when she had her eyes over the older brother, she discerned him gripping onto his bracelet. Athena knew exactly what that meant, and she suddenly experienced a bigger terror than she was already having. She started a clumsy laughing session. "Ha, ha, ha..." the young woman gracelessly stuttered. "I think I'm simply tired from the many hours trip in the plane and all... Ha, ha... Phew!"

To her gratification, the siblings appeared to accept her answer. They smiled and began asking about her trip to Europe. Athena seemed a bit uncomfortable to speak about it with them, but she believed she had to for the sake of toning down the atmosphere enveloping her. Good to know it worked like charm when the two friends played along with her!

Phoenix had been behind their conversation, leaving the youngsters to do as they pleased. Somehow, kind of selfish of him, he was extremely reassured the turn had come over Athena to endure all the siblings' bizarre acting. Now sharing the burden with another one, he knew he wouldn't be alone in this anymore.

The rest of the working shift was spent with a slight tension in the air, though everyone did as if they didn't know anything or they faked their ignorance. Each agency members would simply do their work on their side like any other boring day.

After the clock hit six in the afternoon, Apollo and Trucy left for home, at last. It truly was like the pressure had been released in the atmosphere in one short instant, like a balloon emptied of its stressful, weighty air. Athena stayed in the agency, however, lying and pretending to the siblings she wished to work overtime because of the longer vacation she had taken. The siblings trusted her lie, commenting it made sense for her to work a little more for the lost time. Besides, she might really need the extra overtime income (hey, Phoenix paid double for these extra hours!).

Except this time, Athena wasn't being paid double. Drained, the woman simply rested deeper on the office couch among Trucy's scattered magic props. She didn't even mind sitting over them as she just needed to unleash all the evil, or whatever it was called, from the inside. Phoenix approached her, truly wishing his protégée actually had a lead to the siblings' problems.

Luckily, it appeared Athena might have discovered something interesting.

"So, what have you found?" Phoenix asked her, now glad the two kids had gone home so they could finally speak of the subject out loud.

However, what leaked out from the young woman was something that sounded like a bizarre grunt, like supreme exhaustion, or he wasn't sure anymore. She soon managed clearer words. "There's something," she finally revealed. "To summarize things, I remember seeing their posts about going to the Steel Samurai resort instead of going to see their mom. From what you said, everything went downhill since then."

"You're right," the man pronounced, pensive. "It makes me wonder if they really went there."

That was when Phoenix saw it: that extremely stern frown on the young girl with a glitter of fear cornering her stare. He recognized the answer he will get won't be a satisfying one.

"Mr. Wright, that's not the only thing..." The voice Athena had used was hoarse and hard. The very outlook of her tone and comment sent him shivers.

Phoenix wasn't really sure if he really desired to hear the answer Athena had to offer now. There was a thing that wasn't definitely natural in the siblings' acting and he wondered if it could be worse than it already was. "Huh? There's anything else?" the boss asked, baffled.

"Their... voices and hearts..."

So it really had to do with their inner selves, after all. "What did their emotions say?"

Phoenix was prepared for anything.

Athena hesitated to continue, but they had already reached the point of no return. "...That's the thing... There was literally... nothing," she slowly mumbled.

Maybe Phoenix wasn't THAT prepared, but he had dealt with people without emotions or at least with no normal ones before. Perhaps Trucy and Apollo had learned to control them too...

"You couldn't feel their emotions? Like... with the Phantom?" he curiously asked, concerned.

But Athena shuddered even more from his question. Reminding her of that vile criminal who had murdered her mother and Apollo's best friend wasn't much of a good idea. "...It's even worse than that... I'm sorry, Boss..."

Now Phoenix was definitely NOT ready for anything worse than the Phantom, but he must learn the truth of everything if he wished to help the siblings. His next remark was completely filled with discords, which almost hurt Athena's sensitive ears.

"I-I-I'm ready to hear it, even if this is about my own daughter... and her brother," Phoenix said with a firm tone, but he was obviously terrified.

Athena finally chose to frankly drop her discoveries without hesitation. "I perceived... absolutely no emotions from their voices and heard no heartbeats from them, none..."

...

...

The man had not expected this. At all.

Dozens of possibilities, hundreds of reasons and lastly, thousands of news more questions escaped his mind. Phoenix's palms pressed against his head, almost wanting to relieve his brain from the pressure over that devastating revelation. He didn't know if he should be thankful or upset, or maybe he'd just let the confusion rush through his soul and lead his following actions. After all, he had been living along confusion for weeks and he was used to its constant presence! Adding a greater confusion in his life right now might just be okay, maybe...!

No, no, no, this didn't make any sense at all! There was definitely something wrong, and probably more wrong than he thought, in both Trucy and Apollo. But the truth must be searched by him in a mean or another one day, because he had the feeling the truth will never come out by itself.

"W... What...?! How's that possible?!" the father finally stammered with a worried tone.

Witnessing his pupil giving him a drained shrug as a reply, Phoenix already gave up for an immediate clear answer to his question. There was no way he will be getting it today.

"I don't know..." Athena said as she dived herself lower into the couch like she wanted to disappear in it.

If the boss's hair wouldn't have been so sturdy, he would have ripped all of it with his hands already. "But there's no way for someone to have no heartbeat!" Phoenix exasperatedly yelled. "I'm no scientist, but I know that's biologically impossible. It's common sense! If that'd happen, that means they are dead!"

"Or they are robots..." Athena added, a small hint of sarcasm barely audible.

"Athena, this is no time for jokes!" the man begged for a serious discussion, grabbing her shoulders to shake her back into the world.

"I know, of course!" Athena complained like a kid. "It's just... well... that's the first answer that came to me because I've been living with them during most of my childhood! It's in my nature, I can't help it!"

Acknowledging his own futile whining, Phoenix settled down, releasing the girl from his grasp and in turn, he bounced on the couch alongside his upset student. He deeply breathed before he spoke again. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry for my outburst," he declared, ashamed of himself.

Fatigued, he laid his arms down and faced the ceiling with tired eyes, his mouth agape and his hazed mind unable to process clear thoughts. He tried searching for an explanation how all this was possible, but he couldn't find anything. "I can't explain why Trucy and Apollo have no heartbeat," he began. "Is that even possible? I know for sure that they are alive and well, seeing there are psyche locks around them. And guess what, psyche locks mean their hearts are still there... Unless it's another secret or mysterious Gramarye power Thalassa has yet to mention but... Seeing no emotions from either siblings raises more questions than answers. I'm not so sure about anything anymore…"

All of a sudden, determination surged back upon Athena when she stood straight up again, her fists on her hips, looking above with a convincing enthusiasm. "I guess we'll be in need of investigation in this matter, boss!"

While an unexpected stream of encouragement arose from his well-being, Phoenix had a lack of confidence about Athena's upcoming idea of an investigation, regardless of what it will be. "How do you suppose we should investigate?" the man questioned, doubtful. "I don't want to spy on my own daughter. She's a big adult girl on her own now!"

Pondering, the young woman put a finger on her chin. "I... don't know," she told him, not really sure of a solution to this before she went back to her strong-minded persona. "But hey! I might have to hang out with them a little more! I heard even Pearl and Jinxie don't visit them anymore since Trucy always declines their invitation, so maybe it'll do them good if I go out with them! They won't doubt my presence around too much since, well, I'm kinda in the same age generation as them and we see each other five days a week. We're close friends and co-workers so I guess it'll work!"

In the end, the father let a single weary but appeased laugh escape his lips. He knew he could count on this red-haired girl when all hope seemed lost. No matter which answer will come out of this special investigation, he was willing to find and accept the truth.

"I really hope you'll do fine, Athena. Thank you for being here," Phoenix expressed.

* * *

 _ **Author's note:**_ _This chapter was such a pain to write. It's probably because I find it to be the most boring chapter so far. Also, Athena's pretty hardcore, coming from the plane, only to work immediately after as with the Tenma Taro case…_


	11. Two Loyal Friends

_Y_ _es, I'm bringing Polly and Truce in the spotlight again!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 11: Two Loyal Friends**

 _August 9th 2029, 9:17 AM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"Apollo, Trucy, we need to talk!"

Within the years living among the members of the agency, the siblings had learned right from their mistakes that when someone were telling them that "they needed to talk", it always meant a negative prospect. However, they didn't appear too troubled from the tone Athena was using since the grin she displayed probably signified something different than some sort of negativity. Nonetheless, grin or not, they should be more than capable of detecting true emotions as efficiently as her.

"We've done nothing wrong!" Trucy immediately proclaimed innocently, though her own smirk gave away her sarcasm.

"Do you need something?" Apollo asked his junior associate, keeping up with his never-ending seriousness.

With a devout spirit, Athena coughed her stress out, grabbing both siblings by the shoulders. "We should totally go out together!" the young woman exclaimed, her enthusiasm so great it almost looked fake, but this didn't bother any of them.

"Go out? But it's raining outside right now," Apollo commented, his brows forming a frown.

"No silly!" Athena shrieked, more determined than ever. In the recent days, whenever she said anything, the siblings would usually come up with strange comments like these, but she'd always cast them aside. "What I mean is that we should go shopping the next weekend!"

"Shopping? What do you need to buy?" Trucy asked with a raising eyebrow.

Letting her arms drop down heavily, Athena grunted like she was drained from their incessant bizarre answers. "C'mon! We should just go shop for fun! Like, between friends! That's what friends are for, right?" she publicized, her voice now louder.

 _ **Athena is our friend, Polly.**_

 _ **Friends are fun, Trucy.**_

"Yeah! Why not? It's going to be so fun!" Trucy chippered.

However, the continuing rational side of the brother and sister was processing the search for a reason why Athena would suddenly take the decision for a "shopping fun", and they found no answer to this. Apollo stared at his partner for few seconds, blinking his little naiveté out. His move slightly gave her some discomfort. "Why?" he finally spoke.

"Why… what?" Athena replied with another question.

"Why do you want all of us together for a 'shopping fun'? Is there something going on in the weekend?" Apollo wanted a clear, specific answer, it seemed.

"Well, huh..." Athena hesitated with her words until she remembered a truly convenient event. "It's because this weekend will be a very special time! It's going to be Zheng Fa national day!"

Well, her words came out naturally.

Or so she thought. Once again, the siblings glared at her with doubts in minds. Maybe she hadn't sounded too natural, in the end...

"Huh, isn't Zheng Fa national day on the fourteenth?" Apollo revealed.

"It's on Tuesday, not the weekend!" Trucy added.

Athena would have slapped her cheeks if she wasn't so good at keeping her composure. She quickly countered this. "I know that!" she expressed, her insincere smile still dominating her visage. She hadn't actually expected the siblings to know about the small country's national day. "I just want to celebrate it during the upcoming weekend since the national day occurs in the middle of the week! Zheng Fa's my favorite country ever! I love their culture and music and food! And what's more fun to celebrate this by going to shop in the mall?"

 _ **Trucy, I remember I dislike shopping.**_

 _ **That is because you are a technical male. Male humans in this country are usually known to dislike shopping.**_

 _ **I do not want to go. You go alone with her.**_

 _ **Polly, Athena wants to have fun. She is asking both of us to go with her. She is our friend. We do not want her to suspect anything. We do not want her to be sad.**_

 _ **Right, I accept.**_

"All right, we'll go with you!" Trucy went along with Athena's suggestion. "I'm sure Polly will be very glad to hold our spending, right?"

"W-Wha-" Apollo objected.

"Great! I'll grab my stuff! Of course, I'll grab stuff in the weekend!" Athena shrieked with a jump in the air, with Trucy immediately following her move. "Would you prefer Saturday or Sunday?"

 _ **Sunday is a better day, Polly. We will be able to end the shopping fun earlier at night. We will use this excuse to tell Athena we need to sleep early for work tomorrow. She must not see us at midnight.**_

 _ **That is a good idea, Trucy.**_

"Let's go on Sunday. More convenient for us," Apollo sighed.

Both girls unnaturally cheered on the young man's agreement by giving him a very quick hug. Athena couldn't help herself but notice something off for an entire second during the short arms wrapping moment.

The siblings' skins were colder than usual.

Unfortunately, or maybe it was more like a fortune, another incoming potential client came to request their defense services, not allowing enough time for Athena to handle her personal opinion of this matter. The occurring case didn't involve any of the antagonists' cases and even less murder, but larceny. Phoenix immediately jumped on the occasion to catch this case for himself and he insisted to have Athena as his assistant this time. To respond Apollo's protest for giving him no job this time, the boss simply pretended to suggest more practice in investigation to Athena because she was rusted from her long vacation. His explanation absolutely made sense so Apollo completely trusted his boss's decision.

Besides, Phoenix needed some private words with Athena about the brother and sister. A new case investigation will be the greatest time for it during business hours.

Apollo and Trucy watched the two attorneys leave and waved them goodbye as they disappeared behind the door. Their eyes still followed their two heating humane forms as they walked behind the walls until they reached the stairs, now too far to be detected via X-Ray and thermal infrared sensors. Returning to their usual works, the siblings hadn't expected a new presence when the office door opened again.

This time, a non-human stood behind it. Both siblings gave the new intruder a smile.

"Good morning, Fleur," Apollo and Trucy greeted together.

" _Good day, Apollo and Trucy,_ " the furry machine replied, using her usual linked mind to let her thoughts be known.

"Did you have a difficult time coming up here? You know animals other than humans are forbidden in this entire building," Trucy revealed with a mocking smirk.

Fleur uncomfortably shifted on her four legs left and right at Trucy's words. Maybe she actually had a difficult time coming here after all. From a normal human's point of view, her act would be considered adorable. " _Actually, your father and your friend saw me. Your father tried to shoo me out but your friend begged him to stop because I did not look 'aggressive' and that I was 'cute'._ "

A little bit pensive with an index on his chin, Apollo eyed the ceiling. "That actually sounds like what Mr. Wright and Athena would do," he commented.

Fleur's message deviated toward a more serious tone. " _I am not here to speak casually. I am here to warn you._ "

" _Why?_ " both human robots used their encrypted data exchange to ask this simple question, once again. The very word was becoming their most frequent word to use in such circumstances like toddlers questioning the world. While the siblings had pretty much retained their old memories and knowledges, most of their common senses had been stripped away and were now being rediscovered, thus the constant use of this question.

Fleur didn't mind this. She had gone through the same existence when she was reborn into a machine too. Only time will allow to adjust themselves.

" _I am warning about your friend, Athena Cykes._ "

Trucy's happiness changed to little sadness. " _Athena is our friend. She is a good human. Why are you warning us about her?_ "

" _You remember what I told you about never revealing your robot nature to humans except your Papa, right?_ "

" _We remember,_ " Apollo responded. " _What does Athena have to do in this? She does not know._ "

Fleur had studied most of the siblings' recent memories and she was surprised how childlike they had become. During their flesh and bones lifetime, they would have been sharp enough to realize how a human like that Athena could become their biggest treat. They couldn't grasp of the real extend of her special talent and how it could pose them a problem. " _Athena can hear the heartbeats of humans and, to a lesser extent, other animals too,_ " Fleur exposed. " _No normal human has no heartbeat, and robots like you and I have no heartbeats. Athena probably has suspicion as of now. She might be the key to uncover your true nature._ "

The siblings unknowingly glared at their raccoon friend, not moving until they both let out a short "Oh" without further comments.

" _Act natural in her presence. Do like you always do around her. Do not let her know your secret._ "

The human robots nodded in agreement.

" _I will go now. Good luck,_ " the raccoon let them know as she dashed outside the office. Unfortunately, she met another human woman in the hallway who started screaming at the sight of the little beast. Apollo and Trucy sneered at the scene with amusement.

That was when Fleur cut her links. That way, they won't be able to read her thoughts.

 _ **Apollo, Trucy. You taught me many human behaviors. You taught me the true significance of the word "murder". You taught me the difference between "kill" and "murder". Both bring to the same end, but both mean different aspects. There is no such distinction in the non-human animal kingdom. Non-human animals kill sometimes, but always for a good reason. Non-human animals do not murder, because murdering is killing for wrong reasons. Only humans who have lost their resolve murder.**_

 _ **I am now realizing the gravity of your conditioned acts at nights, and it is wrong.**_

 _ **Do not ever let your loved ones know your secrets, because your Papa will know. He will force you to murder your loved ones the same way he forces you to murder bad humans.**_

 _ **Athena Cykes, she is a good human, but she will know your secret one day. Do not let Papa force you to murder good humans. Do not let Papa take away more of your humanity.**_

 _ **Please, let me help you protect her from yourselves.**_

* * *

 _August 12th 2029, 4:56 PM  
_ _District Shopping Mall, Women's Area_

"Girls, are we done yet?" Apollo complained at the same time he was holding more than half of the girls' spending under his arms. He had been following his sister and his junior partner for about three hours but he had done everything to look happy for their enjoyment, until now.

Trucy joked at him. "C'mon, Polly! We're still having fun! We're still not done with the quarter of the women's area!"

"But hey, Apollo's kinda right!" Athena approved with a wink. "We've been walking for a while and, well, we need a rest, all right?"

Athena led her two friends around the mall center area where stood erect a huge elegant water fountain. All three sat around it, with Apollo leaving all bags on the floor with a drained sigh. Athena grabbed herself a small chocolate bar to regain the tiny amount of the energy she'll need for more eventual shopping spree and mental bearing with the siblings. Sitting between the two, she wrapped her arms around their shoulders, ignoring their _colder_ aura.

"We hadn't had much time to speak of our vacations!" the female attorney asserted, glaring at both as her lips revealed a joyful smug. "Please tell me about your time in the Steel Samurai resort! Did the place live up to your expectations for awesomeness?"

Trucy literally squealed with enthusiasm at the question. "It did! The best place to revive our childhood! The place was so gorgeous, the actors very credible and the attractions very spectacular! Don't you agree, Polly?"

However, Apollo didn't appear as overjoyed as his sister. It was to be expected, of course, Apollo being… Apollo. "Well, it was kinda fun. A good place to bring children, I guess," he commented bluntly.

Thoughtful, Athena felt like she had to be very careful with her next comment. She remembered reading their posts on their social page online about their trip to the resort and a particular oddity had struck her from the depth of her mind ever since. She knew her boss was asking himself the same question and she had to have the answer to this.

"I was wondering why you never took pictures of yourselves during the trip," Athena remarked, this time more resolutely. "That was pretty surprising, especially from you, Trucy. I mean, you usually like taking pictures of yourself everywhere so much!"

"Oh, that's simple!" the younger girl uttered without hesitation. "We thought to capture the absolute beauty of the resort and we thought our presence in the pictures would ruin the background! Besides, it was so much fun over there that both Polly and I forgot about taking pictures of ourselves!"

"That had sounded pretty fun!" Athena faked her excitement. "What was your favorite place there?"

A subtle silence from the sibling was caught by Athena's ears, enough for her to raise suspicion. "It was probably the singing ride! It was so much fun!" Trucy cried. Her bliss sounded phony, though; not that Athena could actually distinguish lies or emotions from their voices or their inexistent heartbeats. How could they hide all from her?!

"Yeah, that one was fun," Apollo added. While his interest was at much reduced level, he still had a tiny smile over it.

Somehow, the siblings' answers over this gave an impression of being too surreal. Trucy had always been the overenthusiastic one, so it was a bit less shocking to listen her brag about her trip. However, hearing Apollo agreeing with all of his sister's comments appeared much abnormal. Was that very happy trip to the resort really the reason for their weird behavior changes? Also, the way both spoke... sounded tasteless, like they had actually never been there, like they had been forging all the stories of that imaginary trip.

Did something happen to them in the resort?

"Oh guys! I won't be long!" Athena abruptly declared out, prickly grin visible on her face as she stood back on her feet. She turned to her friends. "I just need to go to the bathroom!"

Suddenly, the sight Apollo was giving her creeped her out. "You're tense, why's that?" he asked as he touched his bracelet.

"I need to pee, that's why, duh!" was the immediate answer that followed before Athena quickly dashed to the public restrooms.

Thankfully, there was quite some distance between the siblings and the restrooms. Unfortunately, the lineup to reach one of the toilets was longer than the distance between her and her two companions. Fortunately, her natural need wasn't too urgent and this will give her time for plan B.

Waiting with all other women in this endless line, she turned her head around to make sure neither Trucy nor Apollo were around before grabbing her Widget device between her fingers. Her move drew curiosity from the other women but she ignored them. Now sure none of her coworkers stood nearby, she started a call to a particular friend.

As the ringing began, Athena quivered slightly, hoping for the one at the other end of the call to answer quickly with few repetitive whispers to herself. "C'mon, pick up the phone. Pick up, pick up, pick u-"

 _Simon Blackquill speaking_.

Athena slightly bounced with relief. "Simon, you're here!" she loudly murmured over the call.

" _Good afternoon, Cykes-dono. Do you need my services?_ " the prosecutor Simon Blackquill responded with a small but joyful huff. It would have sounded grumpy to a stranger's ears, but Athena knew him too much.

"Straight to the point, huh?" Athena commented. "Actually, yes, I need your services. Are you able to investigate a matter for me? It shouldn't take too long!"

" _Of course, anything for my mentor's daughter. If this is something within my power, then I will proceed with your request._ "

"Great! If you can, can you please check something at the international airport? I want to know if Apollo and Trucy had actually boarded their plane to the Steel Samurai resort around last July 9th. I know you might be able to use your relation with the state and all to investigate…"

" _For Justice-dono and Wright-chan? A short request will be shortly investigated. Please, give me until later tonight or tomorrow. I'll make sure to give you a result soon."_

"Thanks a lot, Simon! And stop being so busy with work! You even work during weekends! That's a crime! We should do something together once in a while! Tell Mr. Edgeworth you need some days off!"

" _... This will thrill me, but... not for now. Thank you for your offer._ "

 _ **What is taking Athena so long?**_

 _ **I do not know, Trucy. She is a female human. I do not understand female humans.**_

Both siblings wandered their sights around curiously, watching the crowd in their business and fun. Having no distraction for themselves, they decided to deactivate the function blocking exchanged data from humans' devices. With time, they had learned to pick up only few signals to not overwhelm their own receptive data. Amused, they started smiling like silly children as they came across some of them. That woman besides them was reading more Internet jokes even Trucy snickered about. Over the ice cream counter, a boy whined to his mother over his cellphone about missing money to buy the banana split he was getting for himself. From the corner of the far away restrooms, they detected a receiving sound call from... Simon Blackquill...?

 _...not for now. Thank you for your offer._

Obviously, Apollo and Trucy didn't catch the entire conversation, but they knew the receiver of this message was none other than Athena. This was no surprise knowing the two humans were big childhood friends. Even though they wondered what the exchange was about, they had to remember that normal humans couldn't even catch that data exchange unless they were using another hacking device. Even most of these tools were still incapable of accomplishing what the brother and sister were achieving. Tools couldn't counter the encrypted keys between the functioning devices, thus they were unable to read any data.

They chose to not ask Athena about this.

That was the right thing to do.

Fifteen more long minutes after the mess, Athena finally came back, thrilled as ever. Trucy sprang before her, catching her brother's arm on the way to make sure he stood with them, much to his shock. "So, what else are we going to do?" the younger girl exclaimed with her fists excitedly close to her face.

"Let's go eat to the new Borginian joint!" Athena suggested. "The food's super delicious over there! I'm so hungry, I could eat an octopus!"

Trucy and Apollo gave away a sudden clueless frown. "But I thought you wanted to celebrate Zheng Fa's national day," the young man said, leaving her a glare that questioned Athena's change of mood.

The siblings completely perceived the gulp in Athena's throat, but the attorney woman quickly dismissed her act. She actually thought the two would have long forgotten about the Zheng Fa part of her reasoning for going out today. "I thought you'd prefer Borginian food since your mother's kinda Borginian, just for you guys!"

The two accepted her answer and her current pressure lifted away like a fleeting cloud. Trucy giggled to Athena's words. "Just cuz Mommy's kinda Borginian doesn't mean we like their food, silly!" Trucy commented.

"Girls, I don't feel hungry anyway..." Apollo sighed.

"Me neither," the younger sister added. "But we can go to the place with you! How about we get ourselves a takeout for home?"

There, the siblings did it again: refusing food, albeit indirectly. Phoenix had been right about the two never eating food with anyone else. Athena knew she had to dig deeper to find out what was causing them to deny the very fundamental need of eating for a human being. She had to plan something else and fast...

"Hey, I've just got an idea!" Athena hollered. "How about I invite you to my apartment after dinner? We can watch a movie or something! I've just downloaded this Zheng Fa horror movie recently and I'd like to watch this with someone..."

 _ **Trucy, we cannot accept her offer. We might hit midnight before we finish that movie.**_

 _ **But if we refuse, she will suspect us more.**_

 _ **We have to find a solution.**_

 _ **We will find one.**_

 _ **Let us accept her offer then.**_

 _ **Yes, because Athena is our friend. She is a good human.**_

 _ **We must make good humans happy.**_

"Sure, it's going to be fun!" Trucy agreed, grabbing Apollo's arm once again so he would follow her in the agreement.

The young man nodded, though much less intensively. The two girls bounced with delight after Apollo's approval.

* * *

 _August 12th 2029, 9:40 PM  
_ _Athena's Apartment, Living Room_

As expected, the siblings didn't eat their takeout orders.

When Athena had completely devoured her dinner with a manic ferocity after their tiring shopping hours, Apollo and Trucy preferred to put their orders in the fridge instead, pretending they'll finish this later. Their hunger appeared so non-existent Athena literally asked them if they were anorexic, but this only earned her a mocking laugh. They said if they were anorexic, they would have looked sickly and Apollo especially wouldn't even have the energy to hold all their expensive spending from their shopping spree.

While the brother and sister waited for the movie to start, Athena browsed through her cellphone to find the movie file she had downloaded so they could broadcast it on the TV. Sadly, she had forgotten where she placed the file. Trucy chose to help her friend to find it and Apollo decided to concoct some drinks to end their days smoothly. That way, they'll be able to wake up earlier tomorrow morning for their new week.

Bushed by Athena's stretched time to fiddle with her device, Trucy seized her friend's cellphone while literally but gently forcing her to comfortably lie down on the couch. It nearly crushed the red haired girl's reputation since she was usually the less technology illiterate of all.

During Trucy's research over the phone, Athena didn't have any other choice but to listen to the anchorman speaking over the most recent news on the TV screen. Her head resting lazily on a palm, she endured the boringness of the news alone.

" _The famous murderer of her two own children, Dr. Diana Connor, has been found dead at home. The numerous bruises and wounds around her body revealed a brutal and violent death. Taking account of the nature of the murder and the fact Diana Connor was generally despised by the society since the atrocious fate of her children by her hands, police says her current murder is probably related to the recent 'antagonists' murders'._ "

"Well, damnit! Another of these murders. When will it end?" Athena murmured louder than she should have.

She clearly remembered the case of Mrs. Connor. Everyone knew she was guilty. All evidences proved it and Mrs. Connor even admitted to the crime. However, she had been deemed not criminally responsible at the very moment of the murder of her own children she killed in cold blood. She did so to make her cheating husband suffer the death of his two kids. Her psychologist had pretended Mrs. Connor had been too mentally unstable back during her criminal act, leading to a non-responsibility verdict by the jury, which basically implied she was "not guilty". Because of that, she had been released without a severe criminal record and she was free like the wind, a rotten meat left wandering among the mainstream society like anyone else. The only sentences that had been given to her were several appointments in a psychiatric hospital.

If the common crowd would have really wished to keep using the silly term of the " _Dark Age of the Law_ ", Mrs. Connor's case was outright one of the better examples of it. For that, Mrs. Connor was absolutely hated by the society. However, Athena knew even the vilest criminals like that woman didn't deserve such violent death. No one did.

When Trucy finally managed to setup everything for the movie, both girls were ready to spend the rest of their evening sitting together on the small couch, ready to hug each other whenever they'll reach scarier parts. Apollo soon came back in the living room to join them with three beautifully decorated cups of Sangria. A sweet aroma tagged along when he put the plates holding the drinks before the two girls.

Sitting back with the young women, Apollo was the first to bring a drink to his lips, starting with a tiny mouthful of the succulent alcoholic juice. Trucy mirrored his move. "That's good stuff, Polly!" the little sister expressed. "You know how to make a girl happy!"

Wait a second. Did they really drink something? Even if it was a very small mouthful for both siblings, it felt like a miracle occurring before Athena's very eyes! So they might not be anorexic, for real…

The older brother descended deeper into the couch with a huff, relaxing. Athena caught a cup too, but unlike her two friends, she gulped a bigger shot of the Sangria in one mouthful. The siblings froze for a moment, their mouth slightly astounded. Maybe the shopping time had really taken an effect on her… Or she just needed to show off her capabilities for withstanding a large amount of an alcoholic drink…

"Trucy's right! This is really good stuff!" Athena stated after an awkward gasp.

They hadn't even been into the movie for ten minutes that Athena began a lasting yawn with sleeping tears streaming out from her eyes. Still, despite her sudden drowsiness, her entire body shivered against Apollo's side. Even the scary start of the movie couldn't even stir her away from her torpor. "Heeh, why am I sssoooo sleeep..."

The young woman wasn't allowed enough time to end her sentence: she totally sank into dreamland, falling straight on Apollo's knees. However, his sister and he simply watched their friend slumbering, their calm smile making their way on their soothed expression. They lent their ears close to Athena's chest. Satisfied, they moved away from her slowly when they were confident enough that she was sleeping for real.

" _Fleur had a very good idea to use a pill of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the drink,_ " Apollo commented to his sister with their exchanged data. " _Athena is sleeping well and will for all night._ "

" _Yes, she will not know about our secret tonight,_ " Trucy added as well.

" _She is safe from us._ "

Leaving the movie running until the end, both siblings simply stared at it, wholly unfazed over the terrifying scenes. They focused on their friend from times to times to ensure her slumbering state will persevere.

They were blissful for her.

After they gently left their friend peacefully snoozing alone in her bedroom, they carefully closed the door behind, only to contemplate the remaining time before their fateful hour, together.

" _It is midnight soon, Polly._ "

Apollo remained silent.

" _I do not want to delete humans anymore, even the bad humans,_ " Trucy signaled, leaning closer to her brother, a sorrowful pout emerging from her lips.

Apollo returned a friendly pat. " _It is okay, Truce. We are in together. Do not hold the burden alone._ "

The young girl mildly smiled. " _I know, but I want this to end. I want to be free, like when we were humans too. Is it really our fate to be eternal mindless killing machines? We are supposed to be humans who fight for justice, but not like this._ "

" _Do not think too much. Papa will know. He might remove our free will if we disobey._ "

Trucy miserably whined. She wanted to cry tears, but she couldn't. " _I know._ "

When midnight hit their internal clock, their sadness was abruptly abducted away from them, changing them into cold machines ready to find their next evil humans.

More living human trashes will fall tonight, bad humans who will be bathing in their own pool of blood, blood spilled by their artificial, innocent hands.

Papa will be so delighted.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: Yes, the CDI Zelda quotes were intentional (and totally forced). Also "gamma-hydroxybutyric acid" is apparently the scientific name for one type of rape drugs. Mrs. Connor's case is really inspired by another frightening and much mediatized murder case that happened in 2009 here, except the culprit had a retrial and had a now well-deserved sentence as of 2016, lol._

 _Spirit of Justice will be released next week. It will probably take my full time, meaning no fic writing until I finish the game, lol._


	12. Two Secrets

_N_ _ote: let's leave Spirit of Justice out of this fic, shall we? So many things are not working in this story because of the game, lol. I feel like SoJ is one huge AU fanfic instead of being canon, but hey, it's Eshiro's/Yamazaki's/Fuse's direction for the series. Doesn't mean it's bad, but I expected better from professional writers, haha. Still a great game, by the way!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 12: Two Secrets**

 _August 13th 2029, 10:05 AM  
_ _Athena's Apartment, Bedroom_

The overwhelming pain that kept her awake in dimness of mind rendered her like a walking death on her two clumsy feet. Staggering left and right like she was about to fall after each step, Athena had one hand going through her long messed hair and the other whipping off the remaining stream of saliva flowing from her mouth. When she reached, at last, her bathroom with the mirror before her, for an instant she thought of dealing with a stranger. When she realized it was her own reflection creepily glaring at her, she rubbed her eyes once more to make sure it really wasn't a ghost haunting her home.

Actually, she kind of bore a resemblance to a spooky ghost right now.

Tossing her appearance aside, she decided it was time to clean her face and brush her teeth, just like she was supposed to do each morning before leaving for another fun shift at the Wright Anything Agency.

However, something seemed off today, but she couldn't get her hands on what and why exactly.

When she returned to her bedroom, now half-adjusted to her slow awakening, she pushed the curtains aside, nearly blinded by the blazing sun rays. She rushed her body over her bed once again, sighing as she contemplated the remaining minutes she had left before she could catch her bike on her way to work. Unfortunately, her vision was still blurry, reducing her capability to read her alarm clock.

"Well, I think I have time for breakfast…" Athena told herself with a huff.

Yet, her sleepiness was still following her every moves, slowing her to the point it took her few everlasting seconds to catch the fridge handle. Another peculiar oddity showed itself when she opened the door.

Two untouched takeout boxes.

Wait a minute… Did she order a takeout recently? Now that she put more thoughts into it, there was a blank inside her mind about yesterday. Where did these two boxes come from exactly? Well, at the very least, one box should suffice for her breakfast. She'll leave the second one for dinner later.

Suddenly, it clicked.

Apollo and Trucy. She was hanging out with them yesterday…

The plan!

No… why couldn't she recall most of her evening? Digging into her memory, she was reminded of the shopping spree with the siblings, their time in the Borginian joint, with them ordering a takeout each… right! And then there was that Zheng Fa horror movie Trucy was searching in her cellphone…

The rest… was completely blank.

Instinctively, she clutched to Widget, and only now she noticed the repetitive light blinking, indicating few new notifications from her cellphone. Athena immediately dashed to her room for her phone device which indeed had its led light blinking every seconds. She unlocked the welcoming screen, only to spot two messages from Apollo. One dated from yesterday night, and the other earlier in the morning.

 _Senpai Justice, Sunday, August 12th 2029, 11:02 PM  
_ _I'm sorry, Athena. You fell asleep right in the middle of the movie, so we put you back in your room. Trucy and I have to go home early since we work tomorrow, so I hope you'll have your peaceful night. See you tomorrow._

 _Senpai Justice, Monday, August 13th 2029, 9:04 AM  
_ _Hi Athena. How are you? We're worried since you're late at work. I hope you're not too tired. Please come to work soon._

Athena froze dead. "I'm… late…?" And that was when four simple numbers with two not-so-meaningless letters and a colon on the top of her phone screen caused a shiver running through her veins.

 _ **10:16 AM**_

Another silence followed the discovery of the present time before a panicked squeal escaped her lips. "Oh damn! I'm late, I'm late, I'm laaaate!"

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 10:33 AM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"What's taking Athena so long?" Phoenix mumbled to himself, waiting close to the entrance as he incessantly tapped the floor with a foot. It actually bothered his young student who sighed with a gruff from his working desk.

"Please stop with the foot tap, Mr. Wright. She should come here soon," Apollo begged, his apparent frown showing his exasperation.

Phoenix glared at the younger man, his crossing arms exhibiting his obvious worry over the red-haired girl's fate. "She texted you back like fifteen minutes ago. It's been a while," the boss expressed with a hint of distress.

"Give her time," Apollo responded with an amused smile. "She might have a hangover from her drinks yesterday, so this doesn't amaze me if she's a little slow today."

Trucy inserted herself into the conversation. "Yeah, who'd be irresponsible enough to drink the night before work? This isn't the Athena I know!"

"People change over time, Truce," Apollo remarked, leaving a soft laugh to his sister.

"Well I'm going to find her. Athena might need some help," the older man said as he walked out to the entrance. Before closing the door, he turned to the siblings. "Kids, stay here in case we have a new client."

Phoenix had a bad feeling about this. He wondered if something had really happened to the girl and he cursed himself for the plan Athena and he had conceived to discover the two Gramarye kids' secrets. Athena had accepted to help him, but how much did she sacrifice for his sake? His selfish inaction over these past weeks might have brought a bad omen to her! Why waiting for his subordinate to come back from her trip? He could have tried to hit the truth from the beginning by himself!

The fast walk outside lasted about fifteen minutes before he finally found his student leisurely limping on the street. Her pale skin taught him Athena might not be in her usual top shape, especially with her way of stepping over the sidewalk and the bicycle handles weakly gripped between her fingers. The very low sulk on her face exposed a rude awakening to the poor girl.

The man ran forward his protégée, worried of her physical (and mental) condition. "Athena!" he cried for her, finally gaining her attention. The red-haired one glared at her boss, trying to call back, but she only managed a murmur. When Phoenix reached her, he gently caught her head between his palms, slightly shaking her awake. "Athena, are you all right?"

The young sleepy lawyer looked up, the dark bags under her eyes and her pale skin giving her the aspect of a depressed corpse. "Huh, I think I'm all right…" Athena whispered, her throat forcing her voice out. "I'm sorry, I'm late… I've slept too much…"

"Don't worry about it!" Phoenix commented, mortified from Athena's effort for keeping her two legs straight up. He gently held her by the shoulders, never releasing her from his clasp. "You should go back home and rest! You're sick!"

"Naan, I'll be fine, just tired," Athena insisted, this time her enthusiasm taking a new chirper direction. She flashed a forced beam at her boss. "Also, I should tell you about yesterday…"

Speaking of yesterday, her cellphone buzzed inside Athena's pocket. Curiously, both stared at the sender ID, and they suddenly experienced a load of shock when the displayed name was Simon. The young woman read the message that came along aloud.

 _Cykes-dono, I've investigated with a detective about your request from yesterday. I am able to confirm that Justice-dono and Wright-chan never registered their tickets in the airport nor did they ever board another flight. I hope this will help your investigation._

Phoenix and Athena stopped walking.

They repeatedly blinked for a moment in total silence, their ears surveying the traffic sounds surrounding them and bystanders giving them funny glares at their blank expression. Mouths agape, they both tried to speak, without success.

The siblings, they had been lying the entire time.

And for more than a moment, when multiple sheers of conflicted emotions fogged his mind, Phoenix wasn't sure if he should be furious or simply concerned. Right now, only the question ' _Why!?_ ' haunted him while he was searching for an answer, but nothing came to soothe his confused self. What were they hiding exactly? Because behind such a great lie must hide a greater secret. There was no possibility for such sin without any concrete reason.

"W-What happened yesterday?" Phoenix restlessly asked his student, scared of the answer he will be welcomed with.

Gently pressing a palm over her forehead with a painful wince, Athena plunged into her memories for an answer, but she was not so sure of a solid one anymore. "I think... we went shopping, then dinner, then we had the movie setup at my apartment... then... then a drink Apollo made for us... then... I-I can't remember anything else after..."

An unexpected cold quiver trailed down through her veins when she mentioned "drink". No... She had heard horrific stories of women having been offered drinks and remembering nothing after... That couldn't be right, but that was all she recalled... "Mr. Wright..." Athena wept, her sudden tears clearly reflecting her uneasiness. "I think... they put something in my drink..."

Phoenix's world was crushed in a mere instant.

Apollo and Trucy, they couldn't have... done such _barbaric_ act together...?

"Hmmm... Wait, boss, that's not what you're thinking!" Her tears had already vanished with her words, but they sounded a tiny bit sad and embarrassed nonetheless. "I'm sure they didn't... huh... do anything to my body except putting me on my bed before they returned home. I think it… might have hurt more if they actually did something wrong..."

While Athena's new comment brought a small relieving moment for Phoenix, the worries were still clinging to his mind. No matter which truth hid behind this, he had the feeling these worries would not go away that easily. There was absolutely no excuse for drugging their own friend, if they really did…

It was about time he had a word with the two. Now, he knew there was a gigantic secret behind their psyche locks. It didn't matter anymore if the truth will hurt the core of his soul, he had to know; for his sake, Athena's and everyone else.

Walking back to the direction of the agency, Phoenix still held Athena between his arms. After an endless sigh, he decidedly declared, "Let's speak with them together."

Athena frowned. She listened to her boss's voice, only to detect an enormous discord. However, now was not the time for a little psychology therapy.

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 11:16 AM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"And that's w-why we ask for your s-services, Mr. Ju-Justice..."

Staring at the shy young girl whose eyes were crying her soul out, Apollo gently approached his new client who had just dropped in the agency in the blink of an eye. He knew she was sincere about her brother who had been arrested of Mrs. Connor's unmistakable recent murder, and he swore to himself that he will give him back his freedom thanks to his evident innocence.

Because Apollo himself knew who _deleted_ that despicable excuse of a human being. Mrs. Connor got exactly what she deserved, and both Trucy and he were especially proud of getting rid of that children's killer. Rather, their _programs_ conditioned them to be happy of her death.

Bad humans like Mrs. Connor did not deserve to live their freedom, after all.

Keeping his professionalism, Apollo caught the palm of the young client, Ms. Nika Johns, for a handshake. He reassured her with an honored smile, "I will take your case, Ms. Johns. The antagonists' murders have been our specialty recently, and it always saddens me to see all the innocent suspects like your brother getting jailed without solid proofs."

Nika peered at Apollo back with some puppy eyes, her orbit scintillating hope. "Thank you, Mr. Justice! I know Diana Connor was a meanie for killing her two children, but my brother would never fall under the same level as her by killing her, his own evil sister-in-law! I trust you can defend him in c-"

An opening door cut their discussion, unveiling the entrance of Mr. Wright and a quite tired but happy Athena Cykes. Apollo and the new client didn't even have the time to wave at them when Trucy bounced before her father and her friend, her cheerful grin managing to slightly calm her father's spirits upon seeing her.

"Daddy, Athena! Welcome back!" the young magician greeted the two newcomers. "I hope you're doing well, Athena! You looked so tired yesterday!"

Athena tried her hardest to not tense upon the meeting with the siblings, but she couldn't maintain herself for the moment. Both Apollo and Trucy unexpectedly glared at her with their intensifying sight. So they probably _perceived_ her well-hidden tension through her facade of lying happiness.

The attorney woman ignored the two siblings and focused her sight over the client. The poor new girl appeared bewildered by the scene, but she managed a modest "Hello" to the raven and red-haired lawyers. Athena politely shook her head before going after the client with an encouraging greeting.

Phoenix, however, remained stern, his strict expression drawn on the siblings. Apollo was the first to notice his boss's harsh eyes, but all he did was throwing him back a smile before turning to his junior partner.

"Athena, meet Ms. Nika Johns, our new client," Apollo introduced her, seemingly avoiding the stare Phoenix was giving him.

"Oh really? Nice to meet you, Ms. Johns!" Athena enthusiastically shook the client's hand as a manner to release her own tension over her action.

Much to the girl's embarrassment, Nika simply flashed a timid smirk at Athena.

"We should investigate now," Apollo suggested Nika before he let his attention back over Athena. "Would you mind coming with me?"

" _Well, damnit, I'm missing the occasion to speak with the kiddo,_ " Phoenix pondered to himself, his slight anger barely visible but Athena could hear it from his heart, sadly.

When the client and his two students moved out for the exit to disappear from the office, his eyes were completely set on his daughter. The poor girl, he thought, naively doing her own work without really minding her father's presence in the place. From times to times, their eyes met for some flashes of seconds before she returned to her business.

But even Trucy's innocent eyes won't prevent Phoenix from getting the truth out of her. He clutched onto his precious Magatama and watched as five red psyche locks emerged from his daughter's soul.

It was time to see these broken at last.

"Trucy, we need to talk." Phoenix was surprised his sentence came out straight serious, without any shivers in them.

The young girl turned to her father, her joyful smile still plastered on her expression like she was expecting nothing out of the ordinary. "Sure, Daddy!" she chirped, her pumping fists ready for action before she jumped for the couch.

Phoenix, however, wasn't sitting with her. He stood high on his feet, locking his icing glare on her. He wanted a reaction from her, but it was like she was lost in some kind of ecstatic oblivion.

"I'm not here to have fun," Phoenix bluntly commented, but this time he barely let out his stress out.

Of course, Trucy noticed the little stress and she glanced back at her father with some curious eyes and a sad pout over her lips. "Why are you so tense, Daddy?"

"I'm worried about you."

Trucy raised an eyebrow. "Huh? Why are you worried? I'm fine!"

Phoenix wouldn't allow her to get away this time. She will tell him the truth. "You're not fine, and I'll prove it."

The young girl laughed. "C'mon, Daddy, I told you I'm fine!"

"Then tell me, Trucy, and sincerely." Phoenix paused for a moment for an uncomfortable cough, but he immediately regained his composure. "How much fun did you have during your trip to the Steel Samurai Resort?"

That was it. He dropped the bomb with the ultimate question that will start everything. He still wasn't sure where this will lead, but he certainly wished he'll reach his needful end. Nevertheless, Trucy's grin came back instantaneously. "Polly and I had so much fun!"

"But was it really that fun?"

"Of course it was!"

Phoenix's hands trembled slightly. He forced himself to prevent a sob from escaping. "Trucy, don't lie to me. You… never went to the resort, didn't you?"

This time, Trucy's smile was starting to wither. She didn't really understand why her father brought up all these comments and these tedious questions, especially about that particular trip. Why bringing the subject now? Really, it was kind of tiring for her. "How do you know this?" Her tone was blunt and firm, the joy of her old self nearly gone in one go.

"You never boarded your plane. You never registered your ticket at the airport." The man's lips shivered, slightly.

Her father's confession caused Trucy to freeze in silence for few seconds, but she had to answer him. "You have no proof," she spurred out of displeasure.

Gritting his teeth with a meager discouragement, Phoenix made an effort to keep his eyes deeply on his daughter's. He utterly hated to counter his baby girl, but he will see through the end of it.

For the truth he was always aiming for his entire life.

"I'm sorry, Truce. You're lying. You never went to the resort with your brother. We've confirmed it with a detective."

 _A psyche lock broke._

It hurt his _heart_.

It hurt her _soul_.

Soon recovering from the shock, Trucy dropped her sight, giving away a sad but sarcastic smirk over her father's remark. She was starting to realize there might be no way out of this discussion.

Until the truth will emerge, at least…

"But we really went there, Daddy. How about all the pictures we posted of our trip? You can't deny these were real." The girl's tone sounded more monotone now, with a hint of anguish in the mix.

"They aren't fake," Phoenix objected calmly. "Neither you nor Apollo are in these pictures. Do you know why? You simply borrowed these pictures from other online sources and posted them as your own."

 _Another psyche lock broke._

Trucy's eyes flickered. Her half-smile was now replaced by a sulk filled with a starting despair. "Daddy…" Her voice was now low and slow.

Phoenix was actually surprised his bluff worked. So he was right about the pictures. "I might be technology illiterate, but even your father knows these things." He was actually faintly proud of mentioning this, but watching the growing torment on his daughter just squeezed his heart harder.

"Please, Daddy…"

It _hurt_ him so much…

"You really are hiding something, don't you?" Phoenix asked, keeping his rigid tone.

"No…"

"Trucy, you already lied to me about your two weeks vacations. I find this lie to be a pretty severe one. There's no way you're not hiding something." The man let a huff out, then inhaled with another deep breathing. "Is this because of your brother?"

Hearing such negative mention of her brother, Trucy was very close to throw a furious choke out. How could her father accuse Apollo of wrongdoing? "Polly did nothing wrong..." she wistfully dissented, shutting her lids.

Funnily, this was another reason for the pressure to be partially lifted away, knowing Apollo wasn't some kind of secretive, psychotic maniac hungry for rape or something of the sort, at last. Now, the attorney needed another way to break all the others psyche locks. Three more to go, but now that he had shattered Trucy's barrier of lies, things should go easier. "Then let's speak about you and your brother. I've noticed in the recent days... how unusual you always are, like nothing could upset you, like you're always… happy over nothing and everything."

Trucy cringed, almost horrified by her father's suggestion. "Daddy, I'm always happy because I have no reason to be sad."

"Really? Last time when I learned about humans, we always get upset or shocked over events like breaking a cup, a glass or when we hurt ourselves. All these recent incidents where you and your brother break things like nothing happened… Or when you burn yourselves over hot water or a hot stove, it's like… you can't feel pain anymore. None of these jolted you."

"Even you, Trucy, when you fail your magic practices, you'd normally frustrate yourself over this because you're afraid someone like me will find out about the secret behind your tricks. However, now, when you fail your tricks, you smile, you're happy. Always."

"You and Apollo smile at everything. Whenever someone else's sad, all you do is smile like it's nothing."

"Trucy, no normal human should be smiling over these events."

No response could answer her father. Anxious and pitiful eyes glared at him, intensively. Phoenix glared back, never letting his girl get the advantage of him.

"The more I watch you two, the less you act human."

 _A third psyche lock shattered._

"You both stopped eating and drinking. Never once I've seen you take a bite of food since these last weeks. It's not healthy for you, of course. I first thought you were both anorexic, but something peculiar about your state hit me. I don't see any physical change in you both. You don't look sick at all. No normal human should be healthy like you when you eat so few, or nothing at all."

 _A forth psyche lock burst._

"Daddy… please stop it…"

It hurt, again, but there was something exceptionally bizarre on her.

Her sorrowful eyes, they never shed a tear. They hadn't cried once.

He kept at it. Only one last lock…

"And the strangest and most important of all, Trucy, is that Athena felt it too." Phoenix deeply breathed the air. "Or rather, I should say she felt nothing, she heard nothing."

The girl's voice was so inaudible and unclear her father barely heard what she murmured. "W-What do you mean?" she silently asked, her voice having such a hard time to escape her trembling lips.

Phoenix knew how devastated she was, and tears were starting to stream down his own cheeks. He sensed he was crying for his daughter's sake since she wasn't, or rather, couldn't. "She heard no heartbeat from you and Apollo, none at all. No emotion, no pulse, like both of you… have lost your humanity, like you're… dead… And yet, here you are, thriving…"

A whine slipped from Trucy's throat. "No, please, stop it… stop it!"

"Trucy, you and Apollo are like… two simple machines."

Thus the disbelief thoroughly struck the man like a bullet through his heart. At the mention of his last word, " _machines_ "…

"No… NO!"

… _the last psyche lock disappeared like a blast._

When the last of these spiritual locks freed his daughter's soul, Phoenix's wall of strictness shattered like falling broken crystal. He opened up to her and sat beside her on the couch, allowing her to rest her sadness over his shoulders. Trucy let some whines out. Strange whines… They hardly sounded human. When humans cried, they let out sobs and hiccups, but Trucy seemed to have lost the ability to cry like a simple human. Watching her whine like some kind of animal or something crushed his heart so much it physically hurt. As Trucy's inhuman cries muffled in his chest, Phoenix led his hands over her exposed shoulders to reassure her that everything will be okay.

That was when he felt it.

Trucy's cold skin.

However, this wouldn't prevent him to give her more appeasing strokes in the hair. Trucy needed them.

"Tell me what happened," the father softly said as he carried on with the gentle strokes.

Still crying, or rather, moaning with misery, Trucy obliged herself to put up some distance between her and her father to look up to him with her unusually shinier eyes. Odd, they appeared to be brighter like some incandescent lights... "You promise to not tell anyone?" she begged as she clutched her hands harder on him.

Upon her words, Phoenix frowned. Combination of guilt and confusion visible on his face, he attempted his best to exhibit his tough allure. "…I can't promise anything I might break…" he answered.

Surprisingly, Trucy smiled at his reply. However, her little smile was filled with a grand sadness. "…It's… fine…" she slowly commented. "I'm tired of keeping this between Polly and I…"

"So Apollo's in it too, apparently. Tell me, then," Phoenix said with a low sigh.

The young girl started to tremble as she began her _little_ secret, though her trembling body shook quite unnaturally, like forced. Unable to look at her father this time, her stare caught the floor, looking at nothing in particular. Obviously, she was so hurt about this. It must be quite a burden.

"That day, on the evening of July 8th… You remember that case when Polly won, right? About the murder of my old high school teacher…"

She was giving her hardest to not interrupt herself, so Phoenix went ahead and offered her more comforting pats. Thankfully, it helped her calm her spirits. He was not expecting this entire mess to have started before the siblings even went to their "vacations".

"Yes, I remember the case. We went to Trés Bien after the trial, and then we parted way since you were going to get prepared for your trip to Borginia."

"Yeah, after dinner, Polly and I... should have returned home… but I… really insisted to bring some flowers to the murder scene, where my teacher was found, to pay a tribute to her."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "But the murder scene was in the middle of the forest!" he interjected, but noticing it only brought more pain to his daughter, he cut himself, allowing her to continue her story.

"I know, it was careless of me," she admitted, closing her eyes to hide her shame. "We bought a bouquet and went to the forest together… After we left the flowers at the murder scene, we went back home but… but…" There were few seconds of whines before Trucy could go on again.

"…then someone accidentally rammed into us with his car…"

... What...?

This time her voice drew itself more energy and grief. "Polly succumbed first! And… I followed after him…! It was my f-fault! Why...? I brought Polly in this... He didn't deserve to be dragged into this because of me! None of that would have happened if I wasn't such a child...! None of that would have happened if we simply left for home after dinner!"

…

Phoenix froze, speechless, completely motionless save for his now faster breathing. How exactly could the siblings be dead and yet alive at the same time? No, this wasn't anything like the Schrödinger's cat theory… They were definitely alive! The psyche locks over them were the best evidences!

"I… don't understand…" Phoenix mumbled with such disarray that nearly clouded his broken heart.

Trucy detected his distress, but she caught his hands, gently rubbing them to assure him that maybe everything will be all right, for him at best. She began her next words, now more softly. "But… the man who killed us… he was a very skilled engineer and a biologist… He wanted us to be alive again so… he… he…"

"…he changed us into… two machines…"

…

The man's sorrow was now totally wrecked by more painful questions. That couldn't be right! People couldn't turn into robots! Partial cybernetic parts like arms and feet, yes, but… No… Trucy didn't look like a robot at all, so that mustn't be the truth, right? No, she was a mere human, like him, Athena, everyone…

But nevertheless, no matter how the revelation seemed of so much importance and dreamlike to him, no psyche locks came into view before her soul when she said the thing.

As inexplicable as it sounded, Phoenix applied the saying he had used in most of his past cases. He chose to believe in his own daughter until the end, because Trucy couldn't lie to him anyway, right? Well, at least, not right now with his precious Magatama in hands. If she did, he'd know.

"Trucy… I believe you… but… It's still hard for me to believe… I mean… This looks so much like… a cheap horror scenario written by a no-life fangirl…"

Well, in a way, it might not be that hard to believe. His daughter and her brother being androids, robots, machines or whatever explained so much. Most of nowadays machines were known to not be quite capable to control their strength and feel any pain. Witnessing the siblings breaking so many cups and burning themselves without reacting to it suddenly looked casual with the new revelation in mind. There were also their constant happiness persisting and some of their common senses taken away, like not being able to distinguish sarcasms or jokes from most of comments. He remembered how these had occurred so often since a while. Pretty much every words they heard were taken with their literal meaning. Let's not forget about the fact that both had fully stopped eating and drinking. It was common knowledge that machines didn't need to eat like living things to stay functional.

And there was the worse fact about them having no heartbeat. Indeed, robots had no heart, technically. They supposedly had no soul either.

But the "machine" before him, it still had its soul, the soul of his dearest daughter.

It crushed him to see her in that state.

She bit her lips as she appeared uncomfortable with her next testimony. "The man, the one who killed us... He was the one to fake our text messages and our online media posts, to make everyone believe we really went to vacation to the Steel Samurai resort. That way, people didn't suspect what was happening to us and what the man was doing to our bodies during these two weeks... He was able to conceal our souls within our modified corpses. Since we now look alive and well, no one will know we were 'killed'."

The father immediately scowled. The killer will not leave unharmed from justice. His insane and unethical actions of changing humans into machines, the disastrous accident... That man deserved to be captured by the law.

"Who's your killer?" he asked, seemingly determined to find the culprit by himself in case the law couldn't.

However, asking about the killer only earned Trucy more instability as she mindlessly began to grab the side of her head, shaking left and right aimlessly. Her expression was suddenly filled with terror as her orbits opened wide. "I'm sorry, Daddy...! I can't tell you!" she unexpectedly exclaimed loudly. Something must be blocking a part of her memories.

Phoenix was afraid to ask why, but he was already far in this matter. He had to know the culprit behind this. "Why can't you tell me? Can't you remember him?"

Her sad moans were becoming worse to the point they seemed like artificial human sobs. "No… I can't… Polly and I… we've been _programmed_ to never mention his name. We can only call him by… ' _Papa_ '."

Wait a minute... Did the man really _program_ them to do this? Had he stripped them part of their freedom? No, he couldn't possibly have achieved this to his daughter and her brother, that was simply too surreal and... more than criminal: it was dehumanizing them entirely...

But now that he was revealed their secret, having heard Apollo whisper "Papa" back in court once suddenly made sense. So the boy was really communicating with that mad man back then. Maybe their "Papa" was the one to tell Apollo to calm down or something when the boy was about to strike the rival prosecutor.

" _ **Trucy.**_ "

He didn't know why, but there was a complete and sudden change of aura on Trucy's full body. She stiffened, her head and back straightening up and her eyes staring to the emptiness.

Phoenix could have sworn they glittered red for an instant.

His daughter remained unmoved, like a standing doll. Something must be happening to her! He clutched onto her by the shoulders, trying to shake her back in their world.

Nevertheless, she was still _unconscious_ , to him at least...

" _You shouldn't have told him your secret,_ _ **Trucy**_ _._ "

"Why, Papa?"

 _Papa_? Was his girl actually speaking to their killer?! But Phoenix couldn't hear the man's voice at all!

" _Isn't it obvious? I've remade you and your brother so you can delete bad humans at night. But deleting bad humans is also considered a crime in their world. You should know this already, girl, with your father and brother defending all these suspects for the crimes you committed. That means when a good human knows your secret, they'll eventually know your crimes. They'll tell authorities about your nature and your crimes. And for that, they must be deleted too. This should be common sense._ "

When the girl appeared to regain control once again, she suddenly grabbed her head with her sturdy hands. It struck like she was trying to cover her ears because she was hearing a horrible noise and she was panicking over this. Phoenix experienced ultimate futility facing his daughter like this and he wondered what was happening. He coughed small sobs out as he tried to call her, to attract her attention back at him, but Trucy wouldn't listen.

Was she being controlled? Or was she losing her reasons?

" _But wait, you don't have any common senses. You're a machine,_ _ **Trucy**_ _. Machines like you and_ _ **Apollo**_ _don't have common senses._ "

Once more, her eyes suddenly shined red. "You are right, Papa..."

Her tone was so low and emotionless. She was speaking like a sickly ghost. It destroyed Phoenix's will.

Then it happened, unbeknown to him.

 _ **ID: 79134, Phoenix Wright, Male, 36, 176 cm, Hair: Black, Eyes: Dark Blue, Defense attorney and legal father of Trucy Wright.**_

Her father's name had been uploaded into their list of humans to delete.

She knew the name will not be taken out this time.

She bounced on her two feet, her head still sunken and she started yelping her fright. "P-Papa… please, no, not D-Daddy!"

"Trucy?! What's the matter?" Phoenix anxiously asked as he went to catch her between his arms again. Unfortunately, all she did was violently tossing him away, nearly sending him flying over the floor and throwing him off balance upon his landing.

Trucy had just used her new inhumane strength.

The struggle carried on. "P-please! Papa! Daddy did nothing wrong!" she cried, fully lost into herself, having a tiny sheer of hope her Papa would remove her father's name.

It won't happen, of course.

"That man… he's speaking to you?" Phoenix questioned again, still coming for his daughter. He couldn't bear to see her in such chaotic form and his sobs and tears reached their peak when he realized there was, perhaps, nothing he could currently do to help her.

"Nonononono… Please remove Daddy's name…!" she terrifyingly squealed.

"My... name?" her father murmured. What did she mean...?

Papa didn't reply back and Daddy's name remained.

"No! Nononono...! NOOOOoooo…!"

In the blink of a second, a scream left his girl at the same time she dashed for the window, carelessly crashing into the glass and passing through, only to fall straight below few stairs down. Phoenix didn't have the time to process his thoughts, confusion, desperation and horror haunting his mind right now. He finally gathered his courage to go to the window to see the streets below. Only the sight of few clueless eyewitnesses, the gaping hole in the concrete Trucy's landing had left and the shattered glasses welcomed him.

He looked left and right, and he thought he could see a fast running lump making its way to disappear in the horizon.

Truthfully, no human could achieve what Trucy had just done, because she was human no more. Normal humans would have simply been wounded by the glass shatters and plunged to their death on the concrete. Trucy survived, totally unscathed.

She really was a machine now.

Phoenix collapsed on his palms, letting his sadness overtaking him as his tears continuously rained down on the floor.

In his heart, his world had died. His daughter was abducted away from him.

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 11:48 AM  
_ _Connor's Residence, Diana's Bedroom_

Fortunately, the crime scene was quite close to the agency, so it didn't take more than ten minutes to make it there.

The blood trails were still very visible along with the mess of misplaced objects at the murder scene. Athena almost choked of disgust from the foul odor of dried blood emanating from the place. She thought she might have been used to crime scenes by now, especially with all past investigations and her own mother's murder, but it appeared her old awful, traumatizing memories wouldn't leave her that easily.

She watched as Apollo examined the trails over the pool of blood. From the process they were left on the floor, the walls and objects, this indicated Ms. Connor fought back and she didn't exactly have a very quick death. Apparently, that was how she killed her children too.

It seemed her death had been so brutal they even found a partially crushed finger belonging to her in the room, something previous investigators had missed. The culprit might have crushed her hand so tight a finger had detached itself. Athena had to block her mouth to not puke her breakfast out.

She really admired Apollo's indifference toward the gruesome scene.

"You know, you're really good at this, Polly!" she exclaimed. Her sleepiness had nearly gone fully, though she ended her words with a long yawn.

Apollo turned to her with a mystified look on his face. "Huh? Good at wh-"

… _n't have any common senses. You're a machine,_ _ **Trucy**_ _. Machines like you and_ _ **Apollo**_ _don't have common senses._

He stopped cold, his face suddenly shifting toward fear with his eyes wide open. Athena jolted upon his move and approached her partner closer with a curious glare. "Apollo? What's going on?" she asked.

But Apollo was clearly ignoring her. He grasped his head with his hands, suddenly calling "Trucy" over and over until this popped up in his list.

 _ **ID: 79134, Phoenix Wright, Male, 36, 176 cm, Hair: Black, Eyes: Dark Blue, Defense attorney and legal father of Trucy Wright.**_

"Apollo?! What's up?"

Detecting the absolute despair his sister was experiencing through their exchanged minds, Apollo was unable to hear his coworker as her cries faded into oblivion. He started mumbling incomprehensible jabbers out of panic before he unreasonably called Trucy again like she could hear him.

Then he hollered, "Truce, d-don't go! I-I'll come too...!"

"Apollo!" Athena shouted again, fiercely trying to gain his attention but to no avail. Apollo immediately stood on his feet before he brutally pushed Athena aside, ignoring her as he disappeared outside.

Laying on the dusty floor, Athena shook her head, taken over by a small headache from Apollo's not-so-gentle push. She dashed for the window to see where he was escaping to, but she couldn't see him anywhere anymore.

Apollo ran away, and she had no idea where and why. However, to listen him mustering his sister's name was probably a first hint.

She needed to call her boss and ask about Trucy.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: Yes, Athena calls Apollo "Senpai" in the Japanese version, which is apparently something like someone of a higher level. It's probably natural in Japan, but it's so weaboo-ish in this fic._


	13. Two Happy Slaves

_T_ _hanks all again for the reviews! Also, responding to one of the Guests, I'm actually not too familiar with the Robocop concept (I know a little of it from the 80s movies), but from what I knew back then, I thought the concept of using a human to create a robot was still original for the time, lol. I think my biggest inspiration for that concept came more from the Dragon Ball series, with Android 17 and 18. Yes, I'm a fan of the original manga series (not the anime), haha._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 13: Two Happy Slaves**

 _August 13th 2029, 12:01PM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

" _Boss, Apollo's been acting very weird. I know both Trucy and he have been acting weird all the time recently, but... it's even weirder right now...He suddenly ran away and mentioned Trucy on the way. Has something happened to Trucy too?_ "

Relief was all Phoenix could experience, knowing he was dealing of the event with someone else over the phone. In case he would have confronted Athena face to face, she'd try to read his emotions. He managed to keep his straight composure with his voice.

It seemed Trucy had really been telling the truth if Apollo had reacted similarly at the same time, despite being far away from each other... He didn't know how, but since they were now simple robots, they were probably able to communicate with each other remotely whenever it pleased them.

Technically, he shouldn't call them "simple". Robots were made of so much complexities that a mere human like him couldn't understand. Actually, especially someone like _him_.

"Trucy... ran away too. I don't know where she went," Phoenix revealed with a gulp.

Athena sighed. " _There's really something up with the two. I wonder what it is..._ "

Phoenix couldn't bring himself to share their secrets with Athena. He hadn't made a strict promise to not tell anyone, but the secret might be too huge for her to bear as it already was for him. Poor Athena didn't deserve to live under such burden; not now at least. "I don't know either, but I'll continue with the investigation on my side," he lied.

" _Do you need me to investigate with you again? I really want to know what's up with the two._ "

"No, you should investigate for Kina's brother's case. She shouldn't be abandoned over personal matters."

" _Oh, that's right, I'll continue with the case investigation alone, but I'm missing Apollo already..._ "

Phoenix let a sad giggle out. "Don't worry. Knowing them, they'll come back eventually."

Except he wasn't even sure they'll ever come back.

" _All right then, good luck, boss! I'll see you later today!_ "

After he hung up his phone, he collided his back against a wall, crying more tears now that the girl wasn't present to hear him. Pitying Trucy's and Apollo's fate as non-human, probably for the rest of their existence, he sank his face in his palms, muffling his sobs. It must be such a heavy weight for them, knowing they had been changed into synthetic monsters and being aware that part of their humanity had been stolen away.

How could he even save them from their eternal doom? Obviously, no magical fairy was going to turn them back into flesh and bones.

When some hard knocks coming from the entrance fifteen minutes after his call with Athena caught his attention, he let out a low yell that, "The door's unlocked, come in."He was still down, sitting miserably on the floor when someone sneaked in to meet him.

A tall and broad police officer stood in, but he was not just any officer.

It was his good old friend, Detective Dick Gumshoe.

"Hey, pal," the impressive but gentle detective called the attorney, massaging the back of his neck out of insecurity. It had been more than a year since their last meeting but he still managed a smile. "It's been a while. How's Trucy-girl?"

Phoenix looked up, sniffling a little more before he tried to whip the remaining tears out of his eyes. "Trucy's… all right," Phoenix answered, his voice barely audible.

"Unlike you! You ain't looking well at all," Gumshoe exclaimed as he slowly approached the man, crouching over him."We just got a call from a citizen that something, or someone, fell down from your office. I don't have any idea how the thing survived or disappeared, but apparently no one was injured, so the force sent me alone. Knowing you, you couldn't have pushed anyone out of the window! That'd make you a criminal, pal, and I'm sure you ain't one!"

Phoenix softly laughed. "That's kind of you to say that, Detective."

Gumshoe's grin brightened slightly. "Guess I'm not needing a warrant against you since no one was injured in the incident, but you gotta have to pay for the repair and the cleaning, pal!" It would have sounded like a sarcastic, mocking comment if it didn't come from the detective. Soon, Gumshoe gave his tone more seriousness. "So what happened exactly?"

 _Well first my little girl and her brother had been murdered and some mad scientist or something had changed them into robots to revive them and they had been doing weird stuff ever since and when my girl told me the secret that they were robots she started acting weirder and she rammed into the window to escape and apparently her brother escaped too during his investigation and now I am crying tears because I have no idea what to think and what will happen to my children because yes even the boy's kinda my son._

It would have been so much easier for Phoenix to reply with the truth. Given the circumstance of this peculiar truth and the half promise with Trucy, he chose to let a lie out instead. "My daughter's been depressed recently because of a love story with her now former boyfriend and she... thought using a bat to destroy the window... was fun. I got furious at her and she ran away, you know, like a normal, delinquent teenage girl..."

This came out as ridiculous as the truth...

Thankfully, Gumshoe had something that could be called a childish innocence, gifting him with the ability to be easily swayed by his friends, even with far-fetched lies. Outraged, the detective began to actively breathe in and out repeatedly, his mind pumped for action. "All right, pal!" the taller man started excitedly. "Who's the boy causing her heart to be broken?! He's gonna need some words!"

Phoenix hadn't expected this reaction from the detective. Lost in the clouds of few seconds, it took him a clearing of the throat to speak up. "I don't think that's how this works, Detective," the attorney responded with a sigh. "But don't worry about Trucy and Ap... her boyfriend. I'm going to meet with the guy myself."

"If you say so, well then! Give her silly boyfriend the justice he deserved, pal!" Gumshoe hollered, a little too much enthusiast.

Actually, the detective's words brought him back a genuine smile. "Thanks, Gumshoe," Phoenix expressed his gratitude. "How're your kids by the way? I haven't met them for a while."

"Oh, thriving with life as usual! Our oldest one's scared of her upcoming new preschool life and the youngest one's starting to speak! I love these little devils!"

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 5:30 PM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"They're still not back, aren't they?"

When Athena had done questioning her client in the detention center as a part of her investigation, the first thing that came across her mind was to meet with her boss. Apollo's and Trucy's matter wouldn't leave her concern and she had to ask him about what exactly transpired with them.

From the discord in his voice, Mr. Wright clearly knew more than she did.

"No, they're still gone," Phoenix answered.

"Please tell me what happened," Athena took a sober shift.

Athena was attempting to read the grief flowing through him and Phoenix knew she probably suspected that he was hiding something. However, the siblings' secret appeared so great he didn't really want Athena to acknowledge anything.

There was surely a good reason why neither Trucy nor Apollo ever told it before.

Was it for everyone's safety? What greater secrets lurked behind them? Perhaps they thought no one would believe them?

"I'm just as confused as you are," Phoenix partially lied. In a way, he was glad Athena's talent wasn't focused on lies and tells because he didn't sound too suspicious to her ears with his comment. "However, I'm just sad that Trucy ran away like that with Apollo."

Raising her shoulders with her fists down, Athena's aura shifted back to her usual decisive and quirky persona. "Really, we should help them! I just hope they'll be back soon!" she exclaimed.

Determination leaving her in the span of a second like the pressure released, Athena let her body sink on the couch. Upon landing, a long huff slipped out of her throat. She shut her eyes briefly before they suddenly met the main window.

There was something bizarre about it.

She asked, lifting an eyebrow, "Huh, boss? Did you clean the window? It feels new and shiny..."

"Yeah, I did," Phoenix lied once again, reassured to see his student clueless of the broken window issue that had occurred earlier. He was grateful for the repair service company for their extremely quick action when he had called them. "You know cleaning toilets appeases my stress. So does cleaning window."

"I know that," Athena replied, disdain in her voice clearly picked up by her boss. "Sometimes, I'm wondering about your obsession for a clean toilet... and windows."

 _ **OBJECTION!**_

The objection scream had been so sudden it prompted the two attorney to jump, with a yelp from Athena as a bonus. Phoenix awkwardly grinned as he grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, noticing his flashing led light that indicated a new text message. Athena's mouth formed a small "O", realizing the shout did not originate from her boss, but his cellphone. "Oh, sorry about this notification sound," Phoenix murmured, embarrassed. "Trucy had recorded Apollo doing his chords of steel exercises and used one of his objections as my main notification sound…"

The girl frowned in complete shock, almost in distaste. "That's… a pretty original sound…" she expressed back.

The jolt of life came back upon Phoenix when he read the sender of the message.

 _1st Trucy Wright_

"Trucy…!" Phoenix blurted, excited his daughter was still wishing to communicate with him despite her revealed secret.

Raising a curious eye, Athena stared at him, wondering how the text message suddenly initiated a full revert of feelings inside her boss.

 _1st Trucy Wright_ , _Monday, August 13th 2029, 5:36 PM  
_ _Hi daddy… Remember the secret I told u about? I need to tell u more secrets about it. Plz don't tell anybody, not even athena. Meet me in this address at 7pm in this_ _ **link**_ _. Its in teh city. I dun want anyone else to know, so plz come alone…_

…

The man wasn't sure what to follow anymore. What was Trucy doing in that address?

"What's the message about? What did Trucy write?" Athena asked, trying to stay on her toes to get a good peek on her boss's cellphone, but Phoenix immediately retreated the device in his pocket.

"She… plans to meet me somewhere."

"Let me come with you!" Athena implored out of excitement.

"No, Trucy wants me to come alone," Phoenix told her, his half-smile boasting obvious sorrow. "After I meet her, we'll see if I can give you more information."

The young attorney folded her arms in disagreement. "Why would Trucy want to meet her father alone? That's so unfair! Everyone deserves to know the truth! I still want to ask her and her brother why they put some sleeping pills in my drink or something!"

"You didn't ask Apollo?"

Athena bit her lips. "I admit I didn't have the courage to ask while I was alone with him…"

The man approached the girl, giving her a friendly pat on the back. "Don't worry. I don't think it was anything that bad," he persuaded her.

However, even after being told the secret, Phoenix still didn't know why the siblings would try to knock Athena out of consciousness. Were they afraid she'd discover their new artificial nature? "If I was you, I'd ask for a blood test to see if they really put anything in your drink."

The young woman looked up, pensive. "I think you're right, boss. Let me get myself prepared and I'll ask for a test. In the meanwhile, you go meet Trucy! Tell her we miss her already and tell her to bring Apollo back!"

The man snickered. "Of course. Thank you, Athena."

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 6:53 PM  
_ _Greenstone District, 1845 Happytree Street_

He looked down to his device again to see if this was the right address from the link given by his daughter.

…

It was indeed the right one.

The surprise embraced him when he first stepped out of his cab. Why would Trucy evade to this rich district of the town of all places? Anyone would see her wandering around, the area having a wide open place for everyone to spy on everyone. All the children playing gleefully outside, fathers cleaning their luxury cars and mothers cooking dinner in the backyard. To be honest, it was like the perfect suburban town from these old movies, where all citizens acknowledged all actions or gossips from each other. No one could avoid the grasp of Big Brother.

Phoenix tried to keep his self-control, but the pressure of the secret and eventually meeting Trucy frightened him to no end. He shivered from the inside, and soon outside when he stood before the entrance door. He dreaded what will be coming up after he will knock on this wooden barrier that might separate his daughter and the rest of the outside world he came from.

Whatever Trucy and Apollo had become, they were still part of his family as long as he lived, and he wanted them to know this.

It took him more than few minutes before he finally succeeded to move his index finger on the door bell. Another minute was needed to press the button.

When someone opened the door for him, Phoenix was prepared to spread his arms wide, ready to welcome the daughter he was already missing. He felt like he had practiced this move forever, as if he was going to act in a play in front of all his high school peers. It was like a slap on the face when the one behind the entrance door was an old man with a gruff on his face.

"Hello?" the elder calmly addressed but there was a hint of irritation in his eyes. "Who might you be, young man?"

Ashamed, Phoenix shyly smiled at the man, gritting his teeth awkwardly. The disconcerted attorney introduced himself, "Huh, my name's Phoenix... My daughter told me to find her here, and I'm not sure if I got the right address."

The old man was struck by silence for a moment, like confusion had hit him hard. He quickly shook his head before he said, "Sorry, my ears aren't used to be what they were in their younger days. Can you come closer?"

Timidly, Phoenix hesitated to step in, but the poor man appeared a little frail. He complied with his wish, approaching the elder, trying to not shout and yet making his voice louder by clearing his throat. "Well I'm searching for my daughter and her brother. The girl has a magician outf-"

He was cut by the door automatically shutting behind him along with a spray in the face. Endlessly waving his hands before his head like he was shooing a fly away, Phoenix angrily yelled after the old man."What's your prob... probleeeeemmm..."

Unable to end his question when drowsiness followed by a deep slumber stripped him from consciousness, the last thing Phoenix saw was a smirk over the old man's lips.

* * *

 _August 13th 2029, 11:43 PM  
_ _?_

It was as if they had been running in this valley and dense forest for an eternity. However, that eternity was short when they comprehended their technical immortality. Time didn't really matter to them.

All they wanted was to wander out from humanity, for the sake of these living beings to stay safe from the mere killing machines they had become.

And for that, they suddenly experienced happiness, because they were too far from the nearest human town. They knew no humans were close enough to be found and be "deleted".

Especially not that specific human with the ID: 79134, that someone called _Phoenix Wright._

They scrutinized this abandoned grand mansion that stood unattended in this extremely remote area. All trace of humanity had begun falling apart and the place had now become home to few small animals and bugs. Upon further inspection, no humans had lived inside for decades and the only light source came from the bright stars above. Nevertheless, as machines enhanced with nocturnal vision and everything that would make the most skilled spy envious, they could perfectly distinguish everything in here, even if it was near total blackness.

Signals from human devices were scarce and rare in this area, and this somehow appeased their own soul. Gently smiling over their new fate far from their former kin, they both sat down on the dusty floor, their back leaning against a degraded wall. The numerous gaps on these walls caused the gust to flow harshly inside, enough for their clothes and hair to experience its effect.

Trucy clutched onto her brother, her head resting peacefully on his arm. Apollo replied by laying a hand on her opposite shoulder, wrapping her from the back. They remained like this for long minutes without moving. They enjoyed the loneliness, the silence of the natural choir of the wild night.

Trucy soon broke the peaceful song.

"It's soon midnight, Polly."

Apollo amicably chuckled along, "Yeah, I know."

Since their awakening as intelligent robots, they first dreaded the fearful time that would come to haunt them each night. Midnight induced them to become mindless murderers for the so-called justice mantra their Papa followed so much like a sickly, extreme religious. Within weeks, they had learned to accept the terrifying time that midnight had become. Come what may, it especially horrified Trucy when she realized she was truly speaking of midnight like it was such a casual hour of the night.

Well, midnight would have been truly a simple, normal hour of the night, if they were still human.

She leaned closer to her brother, cherishing their moments together. "Do you think Daddy will... be safe from us?"

Indeed, the name of their father and boss was still impregnated in their internal list of humans to delete, and it will not go away.

"We're too far from the city, Truce," Apollo responded. "The closest human town is about three hours and half away from here. Everyone, and especially Mr. Wright, will be safe from us. We're too far to find any random baddies to delete."

The young robot girl smiled, soothed by her brother's answer. She knew these facts already, but to hear him say these words comforted her. It melted her non-existing heart. "That's good," she murmured. "I think we should stay here, forever. Everyone will be safe from us. Don't you think?"

Apollo threw a melancholic sigh out. "Maybe. We'll miss everyone, though."

"Polly, if it's going to save everyone, then I don't mind missing everyone."

The countdown had begun. Only six minutes before midnight.

However, their loneliness was soon shattered when the sound of a growling car from around suddenly blared in their sensitive ears. Worried, Trucy gasped at the sound and went to hug her brother tighter. After Apollo returned the move, he turned around to check where the noise came from.

They could detect from few dozen meters away the outline of a car and the silhouettes of two humans. One of them appeared inert as the other dragged them in the mansion. Was the unmoving human dead?

No, they could clearly see the heat level on both bodies and their up and down movements of their chests as they breathed for air.

" _Are we going to delete them?_ " Trucy exchanged her thoughts with her brother.

" _I do not know,_ " Apollo replied, troubled. " _We must get out of here_."

Just when they were about to disappear, a chilling, familiar voice stopped them from their escape.

" _ **Apollo**_ _,_ _ **Trucy**_ _, stay!_ "

Both robots unexpectedly sustained a lingering energy clouding their reasons and their minds when they perceived their own names, their programs forcing them to obey at the voice they immediately recognized as Papa's.

No way… What was Papa doing here of all places?

Papa's strict voice continued. "I know you two are here. You won't run away from me."

Slowly gaining their self-control, Trucy gripped to Apollo once more, staring at the voice's direction to take a good look on their Papa's face despite the near full darkness. They were taught that even though they had observed the physical self of Papa only once, they were able to retrieve, in their deep database, the facial recognition program with the data of his face and other information about him.

Just like a normal robot would do.

However, the horror filled their wires and cables as soon as they started using their facial recognition program over the slumbering human's face. The unconscious man Papa was dragging inside the mansion was none other than _him_.

 _Assigned ID: 79134. Name..._

 _...Phoenix Wright_.

"NO!" Trucy screamed, her whine hollering her painful torment. "Please Papa! Don't make us delete Daddy!"

Keeping Trucy against him, Apollo glared back at their Papa, a terrified but furious frown glued in his brightened eyes. "You…! How did you know we're here?" the brother shouted after the old man, the rage in his voice priming over all his other feelings.

But the man wouldn't give up to his creations' comments. He wouldn't listen to mere robots; machines shouldn't even reason on their own, after all. "Do you think I was silly enough to not insert a tracking chip into you two?" Papa disclosed with an allusion of mockery. "You will delete this man like I've ordered you in your list, so that's why I'm obligated to bring your target here."

 _Only three minutes before midnight._

 _Three minutes_ before their programs will provoke them to lose control over their free will. _Two minutes and fifty-five seconds_ before they will be forced to delete their father and mentor. _Two minutes and fifty second_ s to escape...

But there was no way out. It was too late to move away from their target.

With a tiny amount of hope, moaning her anguish out, Trucy cried to their creator, stepping forward and giving him some pleading eyes. "Please, Papa..." she urged, trying to act more human by whipping her invisible tears. "Daddy's a good human! Do not force us to delete a good human! This isn't the justice your programs taught us! This isn't the justice we were taught when we were human! We've accepted to become your machines! We've accepted to comply with your orders! We've accepted to d-del... k-kill bad humans for you, because they deserved justice, true! But Daddy... he's fighting to bring justice to bad humans too, in his own way!"

 _One minute and fifty-nine seconds._

She dropped down on her knees, and then on her palms, begging more of Papa's mercy. To her shock, the old man was listening. "We've been doing the things you wanted Polly and I to do. This last month, we've lied to people. We've d.. k-killed people. We've lived under orders and fear."

"We promise... we promise that if you spare my Daddy, we'll... agree to be... your two happy slaves for as long as you wish. Control us as much as you want, reprogram us how it pleases you and make us your loyal, obedient robots... Take away our humanity if you want...! But please, don't make us k-kill Daddy or any of our friends! They did nothing to deserve death like this! Please..."

 _One minute and twenty seconds left._

...

Giving a long sigh, Papa released Phoenix, letting the man lying unconscious on the dusty floor. Trucy whined harder as she watched her peaceful father in his sleep on the ground, unaware of the fate awaiting him. Hopeless, Trucy turned to Apollo, pleading him to find a solution to this mess. Unfortunately, the poor big brother was as clueless as her. Both began hugging each other, trembling and knowing the horror they will cause very soon. The thought of sullying their own hands with the blood of their loved ones invaded their remaining rational souls like their most dreadful nightmare.

For a second, knowing their humane reason will completely fade away eventually, they started wondering if it was simply easier to fully give up their lasting humanity, and forever. That would pull them out of their misery and maybe they'll live happier if their souls gave up all their memories and their loved ones. It would be restarting everything anew and they would be theoretically unable to feel anything for all their following targets and perhaps even someone like Phoenix Wright. But that would be too selfish from their part.

Because Papa wasn't changing his mind. They will delete Phoenix Wright tonight.

 _Fifty-seven seconds left._

Trucy's voice quivered. "Can we... at least, tell Daddy goodbye...?"

Papa laughed at them. "Oh, you will tell him goodbye, **Trucy** , and you too, **Apollo**."

The siblings stiffened at their names again. Suddenly, with their own human willpower rapidly diminishing, they were more and more inclined to surrender to his wishes and wait for his orders.

" **Apollo** , **Trucy** , it doesn't matter if I remove Phoenix Wright's name out of you. You've been programmed to delete anyone who knows about your robot secret from the start. **Trucy** , you should have never told your father your secret. It's your own fault if this is happening. You'd delete him even if his name is removed. It's part of your implemented rules."

"I am sorry, Papa."

"Don't be, just remember your target tonight," the old man reminded them with a wicked smirk while he returned in his car. "When your target wakes up, I want you to do the usual. Let him know what it's like to fear and suffer. Do not deceive me, so be a good boy and a good girl, will you, **Apollo** and **Trucy**?"

Before their internal clock even hit midnight, Apollo's and Trucy's eyes glowed crimson red and a gentle smile materialized on their lips. It was about time they made their Papa happy, because knowing him being happy gave them happiness too. Obeying Papa was the right thing to do.

This mere human with the ID: 79134 was their new target, and he must be deleted. That was Papa's wish.

Papa was great and he must be obeyed.

"Yes, Papa," they responded together just before midnight.

They locked their sight on the targeted human, never leaving him from their view. They waited for him to wake up. Only then, they will be able to bring terror, torture and agony upon him as they were conditioned to.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: It's in my nature to never really pair characters in my fics or focus on pairings because to me,_ _they_ _can totally ruin the enjoyment of a story (like some stories did for me)_ _, unless it's a story deliberately focused on pairings_ _. From how I wrote it, Gumshoe appears to be a married man or at least in a lasting relationship, though details given on the mother of his children don't exist in this fic. Normal guesses would have said Maggey_ _Byrde, but it can be anyone you wish (yes, even_ _OCs or self-insert characters if you're a fan of Gumshoe). I also don't call him_ _"_ _Dick_ _"_ _because he doesn't canonly like to be called that, lol._


	14. Two Artificial Nightmares

_Erika Wright: Actually, I like hypnosis stories too. They are basically non-existent in most of fandoms I follow. Glad this fic offers it for you!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 14: Two Artificial Nightmares**

 _August 14th 2029, 2:34 AM  
_ _?_

His lids flickered until they thrived to remain half-open but steady. Unfortunately, after rubbing his eyes intensely, only a faint tint of the background revealed itself. Gosh, how cold and dark this area was! What about the slight and uncomfortable headache that hit his mind upon waking up?

Strange, there was definitely something weird in the air. First, the smell of his surroundings… It seemed too pure, too clean. Second, there was this perpetual wind flowing with the sound of the gust creeping through holes in the walls in this seemingly old mansion. Quite the desolation… Third, how about the cold? He grabbed his opposite arms, trying to rub them endlessly and quickly so he could use a little bit of his body heat more efficiently. His instincts taught him the ability to quiver like a scared puppy, expecting a miracle to save him.

Save him from what exactly? Also, where the heck was he? This certainly didn't look like his home and even less his hometown. As he allowed his eyes to get used to the darkness, he realized the only light sources were the stars and the small moon up in the open sky, with the half-destroyed roof above his head... For some reason, the stars appeared much shinier and clearer than usual. Even the other arm of the Milky Way could be seen perfectly. Where was his familiar city light pollution? Standing back on his feet with a scratch on his head, he wondered: what... happened... and how the heck did he find himself this far away from the city? At least, he was, perhaps, far from the civilization…

When the modern human instincts struck him, his hand dug into one on his vest pockets to find his cellphone intact. When he checked the time, he turned pale.

Sure, the time was quite early, or late depending on different angles of viewing things; a whopping 2:36 AM. However, this wasn't what caused him to startle. This was the text that still clung to his device.

Trucy's message to meet him in a house in a rich district of the city...

Suddenly, all the memories of the recent events flooded back to him. Trucy's and Apollo's great secret blasting his heart, keeping that secret away from Athena, the meeting with an old man in the house and then... nothing else. Well, that "nothing else" that came after everything previously mentioned was surely the part when that old man sprayed that thing on his face, stripping him of his consciousness.

Did someone bring him in this ostensibly remote place while he was sleeping? Why here anyway? These bright, sparkling stars above pretty much confirmed he was in some sort of nowhere, so much distanced from his cozy home. Their celestial presence still soothed his soul as they were his only light sources, allowing him to scrutinize this deserted mansion.

 _ **Mr. Wright.**_

Phoenix screamed of fright at the voice that had just softly called him, like an innocent ghost haunting him around. The chilling voice froze his veins as he aimlessly revolved left and right, across and behind him, to find the source of the call. The voice was a male one, but it sounded oddly familiar. His heart pumping hard against his ribs cage, it took him some times to gather his courage to answer back.

"W-W-Who's there?!" His response sounded hoarse and alarmed.

 _ **Daddy.**_

That was when his question was answered with the new mild but eerie call. He immediately recognized her. However, he wasn't sure if he should be happy, sad or scared of their presence.

"T-Trucy? Apollo? Is that really you?" he shouted with confident tears, hoping for them to exhibit themselves before him.

Unfortunately, they didn't, though their voices still circled him like two wild predators cornering their prey together.

 _ **Hello, Mr. Wright.**_

Somehow, Phoenix knew he had been given the forced role of the prey.

 _ **Hello, Daddy.**_

Even his own daughter was hunting him down, and he was frightened to the core.

"G-G-Guys? What are you d-doing?" the man stuttered, expecting to gain their trust and attention. "Trucy, please! C-Come to me, girl!"

Few feet away, like a clash of fighting swords, two sudden pairs of glowing bloodied eyes flashed before him, nearly stinging him in his heart. He knew the eyes were theirs.

A short, terrified cry escaped Phoenix's mouth before he lost balance backward. Clumsily shaking his body from the cloud of dusts his fall had created, he courageously looked back where the red eyes were, but they seemed to have vanished already.

The spooky voices of the kids lingered, however.

 _ **Do not be afraid, Mr. Wright.**_

Taken by Apollo's voice from behind, Phoenix quickly turned around, but he found no silhouette.

 _ **We are just going to have some fun together, Daddy.**_

Startled by Trucy's voice from the far right, Phoenix couldn't see her over there. In fact, the siblings seemed to be moving faster than the wind, playing some sick hide-and-seek game solely to give the man his scare of life for their own enjoyment. Yet, he wasn't finding any of this enjoyable at all. He was loathing all this, almost feeling his heart giving up whenever one of them spoke or created another surprising noise or laugh in the darkness.

This won him enough time to grasp Trucy and Apollo were positively being controlled by some higher force, a signal or something. He dreaded of what they were going to do with him...

"Trucy, Apollo, this isn't funny! Please show yourself!"

He had hoped begging them to stop would help them return to their old selves, but he recognized his move might not change a thing when a flying knife winded past him by only few inches away from his face. The projectile was so close he could feel its gust before it planted in the floor with an almost cartoonish sound. Phoenix's jolt from the weapon trajectory was followed by a sheepish giggle from his daughter.

 _ **Hee hee hee, I missed my target, Daddy.**_

That couldn't be right! Were the siblings also trying to kill him? Was that a new kind of purpose, to scare the wits out of him? Were they conditioned to cruelly toy with him before their final act? "T-Trucy, Apollo! W-Why are you doing this?!" the man urged, praying for them to get back on track, without success.

He was answered by more ghastly laughter. It destroyed his faith to see their old selves he might never witness, ever again…

 _ **We need no reason to do this, Mr. Wright.**_

 _ **Polly is right, Daddy. You know why?**_

Their upcoming answer utterly petrified the father. He refused to listen to this! "No please, this can't be the truth..."

 _ **Because Trucy and I are simple machines, Mr. Wright.**_

He refused to accept this!

 _ **Simple machines like us have no feelings, Daddy.**_

 _ **Simple machines like us need no self-aware decisions to do things, Mr. Wright.**_

 _ **Simple machines like us do things because they are told to, Daddy.**_

 _ **Simple machines like us need no motives to delete, Mr. Wright.**_

...

Motive to _delete_?

Unexpectedly, every past logical events clicked in his mind. As all filled his knowledge with the horrifying truth, he began putting one and one together. Why hadn't he thought about it earlier? It could have saved so many lives... even if the ones who had lost their lives didn't really deserve them in the first place. Like he was one to judge about who deserved what, but still…

However, Phoenix desired the confirmation from their own mouth. "W-What are you talking about?" he asked, acting like the clueless one.

They complied with his question.

 _ **We thought you were more observant, Mr. Wright.**_

 _ **All these antagonists' murders Mr. Edgeworth is investigating, Daddy.**_

So he was right. He truly wished he was on the wrong side this time, but once the truth had been thrusted to him, there was no way out of this.

This explained so much. He had been so worried about the siblings' odd behaviors since the end of their "vacation" that he had somehow forgotten about the real culprits of these daily nocturnal murders. After all, these had begun on the very same day Trucy and Apollo came back from the resort... No, not the resort, but from their awakening as two machines. It couldn't have been coincidence!

 _ **No humans can achieve all these murders feats, Mr. Wright.**_

Of course, who had ever heard of human beings capable of taking lives of so many people every day with such ease without being found out? Even the cruelest serial killers weren't able to do this daily without the forensic science discovering the origins of these barbaric acts.

 _ **Because they are achieved by machines, Daddy.**_

Indeed, machines couldn't leave any DNA traces or anything of the sort at the crime scenes, couldn't they? It was the only logical answer.

 _ **Machines like us.**_

Trucy and Apollo said their last statement together like a macabre harmony of terror and despair. This sent Phoenix a frozen rush down his spine, his aspiration crumbling down like a frail house of cards. The painful truth he dealt with left such an enormous knot in his chest he thought he was being murdered by a heart attack.

Well, he'd welcome his death with embrace now that he had lost everything.

Trucy was gone. Apollo was gone. He was cornered by two murdering, artificial nightmares that were deprived of their reasons and humanity. The machines before him will take his life away at any time now. There was nothing left.

...

No, he was lying to himself! Whenever there was life, there was hope! Phoenix still had his life and he planned to use his life until the end!

As he stared at the blazing red eyes and listened to the sound of soft giggles like wild lurking predators wandering around, Phoenix assembled his determination to speak with them. No matter what happened and what they were doing to scare him, they must listen to him! "Trucy Wright, Apollo Justice, you aren't acting yourselves! Someone must be controlling you!" The man's intonation was strongminded and full of life.

The siblings did not stop, but Phoenix won't give up. "I don't care that you two are machines! I know that deep in you, you're still here!" The man's hand burrowed in his pocket to introduce them a glowing green stone out. Phoenix threw a peaceful smile as he gazed at his little object. "You've seen it before, didn't you? This is a Magatama. My friend Maya gave it to me years ago. You know what it does, right?"

"It shows locks on your soul when you lie to me or hide something from me. And guess what? There were locks before you two when you lied. Do you know what that means?"

"That means you still are yourselves! You still have your souls! You still have your humanity! These locks would have never revealed themselves before pure machines!"

It might have been his imagination, but their movements in the dark seemed to have slowed down. Were their souls… listening?

More tears poured out from his eyes, reflecting his great sorrow. "Trucy, you remember me, don't you?" He felt a pinch of pain in his heart when he directed his words at her, his dear daughter. "Of course, you remember me! I'm your Daddy! I took you in when you lost everything… I supported you through your griefs, your hardships, even your puberty…" The hilarity of his last word caused him to chuckle with amusement. "Yeah, remember how clueless I was when you got your first period? How could a father such as I help you in this? Of course, I had to call Maya for this and she came from Kurain village just to explain this girl thing! Ha, ha…"

When everything appeared to have calmed down, another unexpected knife winded up very close to his head, even going through one of his hair spikes. The man bounced from the shock, nearly falling on the dust but he managed to land back on his two feet.

The siblings were quietly laughing again…

No, he had to keep up!

"Apollo, you…" Phoenix paused for a second, soon regretting having the constant smug attitude with his male pupil over the years as he had a harder time finding words for him. "…you would always fight for justice! You lived up to your name! Remember when you defended me? Yeah, ha, ha… You punched me on the face for the forged evidence… It was such a good punch, even without the ' _Take that_ ' exclaim!" Damnit, that had sounded so generic, so much perhaps this won't have a meager effect on the boy.

"And remember when Lamiroir and I exposed the secret about your relation with Trucy and your real mother? Goodness, that was such an awkward moment… How furious you looked toward Lam… Thalassa and I, but…" Phoenix hesitated as he borrowed some time to sniffle for air. "…but I was truly touched when you cried and hugged your little sister Trucy… I recall how glad you were to finally have a loving family… I was so happy for you… just as I would for the son I never had…"

"Yes, Apollo, you can be my son too…"

Phoenix just surprised himself. He had managed the impossible: to compliment Apollo of his life (if he could call that a _compliment_ ). While it was true he had never really taken the habit of telling good stuffs to his protégé before, his feelings for him as a son were genuine. After all, he was the older brother of his cherished daughter and Apollo reminded of himself when he was younger. Perhaps the boy was little more direct, blunt and cynical than him, but still...

 _ **You are scared, Mr. Wright.**_

Apollo's words just broke his dream, welcoming him back to the awful reality.

 _ **Because you are a mere human, Daddy.**_

Trucy's speech hurt him even more, almost destroying his insignificant ray of hope.

Regardless, he was still alive. He won't give up that easily. With an abrupt sob, Phoenix admitted, "I might be a mere human and I might be s-scared... But you both are still part of my family..."

Admittedly, he also felt silly speaking the truth like that, but if it was needed to help the siblings regain their humanity, to hell with silliness!

While his view shifted around, the two pairs of crimson eyes now cornered him from the front and behind. Thanks to his now glowing Magatama, he could faintly see the silhouettes of the two.

Their smile glittered with innocence as their cold but piteous sights were locked on him.

"Do not worry, Mr. Wright."

"You will fear no more, Daddy."

"Because dead humans feel no fear, Mr. Wright."

Whatever was controlling them really planned to kill him, not just toy with him... But why?

The more seconds elapsed, the more his hope vanished in the abyss. While he dreaded the death that was sure to come for him tonight, what troubled him more was the prospect of the two kids being compelled to murder people, probably against their will. The horror of watching themselves as their bodies strangled some living things or simply crushed them by sheer strength… Their poor souls must be suffering much more than he was, and for that...

Their mysterious "Papa" must be given justice for what he had done to the victims and for the torment he had forced upon the siblings…

Phoenix was unable to think clearly anymore. He wanted to save them from their slavery, but he didn't know if there really was a way to help them. He knew close to nothing about technology and even less about robots and artificial intelligence. Perhaps the two were already condemned to bear the burden of all the murders, forever, technically. Perhaps they were programmed to enjoy all of these violent deaths… His mind eclipsed by total confusion, soon his survival instincts overtook everything. When he focused back to his surroundings, the red eyes had disappeared.

Their soft laughs and footsteps, however, were still being perceived.

He must… run away from here…!

…away from them…

There, he found himself an opening! He dashed as fast as he could, ignoring the plant strings, spider webs and dust clouds that he encountered on his way. Blindly, he approached the exit. It might have been his absolute fear, but the path to outside seemed to illuminate itself before him like a trail to freedom, a trail back to humanity.

When he reached the exit, something pushed him out of the way, hard.

Phoenix violently dropped on his back, his entire spine subject to the effect of the landing to which he let a scream out. He looked up to see what had shoved him off balance, only to see these accursed scarlet glares staring at him again.

Apollo's eyes were filled with nothing. His soft smile seemed to "pity" the sole human's fate like he was mocking his ultimate destiny.

His soul was still innocent of his crimes.

From the end of his fingers, a long knife shined under the small moon.

"You cannot run away from us, Mr. Wright," Apollo told his dear teacher as he directed the tip of the shimmering weapon at him, slowly walking forward.

Panicked, Phoenix turned away, only to meet his own daughter. The same haunting expression was plastered on her kind visage and the same type of weapon in her hand was pointing at him.

"You cannot run away from us, Daddy," Trucy said as she walked closer.

Maybe his move to bring the kids back to their former humanity was fruitless. Both didn't appear to roam away from the programs that had absolute control over them. Perhaps he should simply attempt to escape, abandoning them in this dark, everlasting fate. But he couldn't bear to leave them alone in this pain, in this horror they must endure despairingly.

Instead of crouching over himself into a terrified, frail ball, with remnant of droplets around his eyes, Phoenix stood up straight and glanced up to the sky, smiling like he was bravely welcoming his death. It was his last chance. The man called them, "Trucy, Apollo, I know you can hear me. Before I'll… be gone, I want to tell you… How I had enjoyed your company, how much light you have brought to all. Life has been so fun knowing you, and having you as my family has been the best thing that could happen to me."

A sorrowful wince made its apparition on his face as he tried to stop his whine. More sobs escaped. "I love you two…"

Still watching the stars above, Phoenix remained confident, his flowing tears being the only features to destroy his courageous facade. While the confusion was prominent in his mind, a small part of him still wondered how he really got in this nightmare. Had the old man from before carried him here while he slumbered? It couldn't have been anyone else, right? Anyway, he had, at last, accepted whatever end awaited him.

"It is hopeless, Mr. Wright."

Apollo stayed unchanged to his words.

"It… It is hopeless, D-Daddy."

Wait a second.

What did Trucy say?

Rather… _how_ did she just say her words…?

Maybe his current crisis wasn't as hopeless as he had imagined! Even without the siblings' genetic talent to spot subtle lies and tension, even without being able to hear their non-existent, physical hearts, Phoenix had just discerned it in his little girl...

Trucy… was fighting against her programs.

This time, Phoenix turned to her, his now genuine, appeased smile crawling back to him. He couldn't prevent himself from calling her as his body advanced on his own forward her. His daughter was coming back! "T-Trucy! Come to your Daddy!"

…

Trucy shivered to his call, only barely, but she did.

She released her weapon that fell on the floor. Her ghastly smirk gradually left her. She stood there, watching, doing nothing else but staring at her father with the same emotionless eyes.

For a moment, Trucy appeared like a pure angel as her hair and clothes danced with the wind.

She was his light right now.

Whenever there was light, there was darkness.

There was this constant lurking darkness chasing after him, quick like a lightning bolt that had just slashed him on his right arm.

Phoenix screamed of extreme pain with his opposite hand going after his bleeding wound. The corner of his eyes glared at the reflecting shine on the newly sullied weapon in the darkness's hand.

The darkness was none other than Apollo.

Stumping on his feet like a limping old man, Phoenix flinched with a continuous grunt, trying to lessen the aching wound by making gruff sounds. He wasn't sure if this worked, but at least some of his adrenaline rush allowed him to see the boy of darkness, his blameless, blank bright eyes darted on him. Apollo's smile changed into a much sinister grin.

The boy muttered, a very faint sarcasm audible, "Does it hurt, Mr. Wright? It should. You feel pain because you are a simple human."

He could have attempted another fleeing move but in his state, he knew running away was futile. Apollo was now an impassive machine, a phantom to be feared, and man, he was fast! Phoenix just became the slow one. Being nowhere close in the fable of the rabbit and the turtle, there was absolutely no path to victory for him.

This was where he was going to see the end of his track, his life.

"Apollo…" Phoenix whimpered to the young man out of agony and misery. "Stop… Wake up…"

But the machine didn't listen. Sturdily clenching after his weapon, he waved it again toward the human, missing him when Phoenix ducked. However, when the man's back caught a wall, another slash couldn't be avoided.

Half of his chest bled.

Even with his lower parts untouched, Phoenix's legs gave him up. His landing was so brutal he bit a part of his tongue, causing him to throw up a mixture of saliva and blood. He wanted to open his eyes wide, but as things around him blurred and faded into nothing, he was unable to keep his lids up. All his life seemed to be leaving him as the pain intensified.

"Do not worry, Mr. Wright. It will soon be over."

He could hear him perfectly, though.

Lying on his back and letting his eyes shut, Phoenix awaited his death. With his small share of lasting optimism, he thrived to speak. "Apollo… you're a man of… justice… You shouldn't… let yourself being controlled like… this…"

If words could at least save the boy, then the man will be able to rest in peace.

"Goodb-bye, M-Mr. Wright."

…!

"Apollo…" the dying man murmured, his little smile stumbling back when he perceived the short instant of hesitation in the boy's voice. "You can do… it… Be… free…"

Surprisingly, Apollo stalled until his mentor caught his lost breath. His moment of reluctance carried on as he dropped his knife. Shivering from all his body parts, he collapsed on his knees, glaring at the emptiness as he struggled to keep up with the humanity that was coming back to him. Unfortunately, the programs that made him up took control over his free will once again. His fingers spread before the fallen man's visage, with his bare hands, Apollo went after Phoenix's neck instead.

Perhaps the boy thought strangling him would give his boss a chance for survival.

But feeling all of his internal parts under his neck being crushed against the unbearable pressure, Phoenix simply lifted himself off.

 _Trucy, Apollo, I'm sorry, I couldn't help you further. I've failed you, but please, don't let yourself remaining two murdering machines for the rest of your existence. You deserve much better._

…

Apollo's hands were pulled away from him.

Phoenix was still incapable of opening his eyes, but now that he could finally breathe with his sane mind growing back progressively, he swore he heard a short cry, then few noises that sounded like a brawl between two people. The altercation occurred so close to him he sometimes sensed the gust sweeping from the rapid movements between the two fighters.

Were the brother and sister… battling?

 _ **Polly, do not delete Daddy.**_

 _ **Trucy, what are you doing?**_

 _ **Daddy did nothing wrong. Daddy is a good human.**_

 _ **Mr. Wright…**_

 _ **Daddy is a good human. We must not delete good humans…**_

 _ **Mr. Wright is a good… g-g-go… b…**_

 _ **Daddy is a good human…**_

 _ **Mr. Wright is a g… b-bad… P-Papa…**_

 _ **Polly…**_

 _ **Trucy, Papa… created us. Papa ordered us to delete Mr. Wright. Papa is to be obeyed.**_

 _ **No, Polly, you are wrong. Papa is wrong.**_

Someone fell down, creating another cloud of dusts and dirt before the mist faded out with the following silence. Phoenix distinguished few footsteps coming closer to him. These steps sounded timid and heretic. He had no idea what had just happened, but the short break that was given to him gifted him enough time to gain some of his life and awareness. He opened his lids, and while his vision was still blurred by the darkness, injury and tears, he recognized the form above his weak body.

His beloved daughter stood before him. Her red eyes had shifted back to their natural, comforting blue.

Was Trucy back to herself?

… Indeed, she must!

"T-Trucy..."

She whined at her father's call.

"Trucy, did... you... save me...?"

But of course, something must have happened to her brother if he couldn't hear him anymore.

"D-Daddy, I have shutdown Apollo."

So that was what had occurred. Trucy had called her brother "Apollo". She must be wholly sad. Her voice sounded so faint and empty, but he detected her little pause in her words. Poor girl, she was still struggling against the digital control...

He weakly chuckled. "Trucy... you're... yourself again..."

"... I am sorry, Daddy..."

Phoenix sighed. When Trucy gently bent over him with sincere, friendly eyes, the father attempted to raise a hand to caress her face. Unable to reach for her, Trucy helped him catch his palm to lay it over her cheek.

Her skin was so cold…

The man quietly whispered, "It's okay, girl... D-Don't be sorry... It's okay, it's not... your fault or A-Apollo's..."

"You are hurt, Daddy..."

He halted for a second. "I'll be f-fine..."

"You are lying, Daddy. You are not fine."

And goodness, how right she was! While he was not sure if he will survive this ordeal, the break from the knife and the strangulation helped him gather his energy to appease his torment and wound. If Trucy will take care of him, maybe he'll survive.

He could rest easy, for now.

 _ **Trucy.**_

Trucy did everything to not jolt at Papa's voice only she could hear now. She did her best to stay clutched after her small time of freedom to restrain the programs, these dreadful codes forcing her to succumb under absolute obedience when Papa called by her name.

" _... Papa..._ "

" _This is where I'll allow you to say goodbye to your father, just as you wished. Isn't that what you wanted,_ _ **Trucy**_ _?_ "

Resistance against her programs became harder and harder to tame every time her name and compliments were directed at her by Papa. All the codes inside her were tossing her rational soul aside, letting the submissive encrypted ciphers overwhelm her. No… Why was Papa deliberately calling her so often? Why saying her name now?

" _That's right. You'll be a good girl,_ _ **Trucy**_ _. You'll take the knife Apollo left on the ground and you'll delete your evil Daddy with it, because Daddy has been a very bad human for discovering your secret. When you'll sink this knife in him, you'll say goodbye to him. How does that sound,_ _ **Trucy**_ _?_ "

Her hands trembled as they unhurriedly approached the knife her brother had dropped.

" _Papa..._ "

She grabbed the weapon.

" _That's a good girl,_ _ **Trucy**_ _._ "

She leisurely dragged the tip of the weapon above her father's stomach.

" _You're doing great,_ _ **Trucy**_ _-girl. Now, when you're done with your mission, I'll allow you to tell him goodbye. You deserve it,_ _ **Trucy**_ _._ "

The more Papa repeated her name and congratulated her, the more her soul lost itself into a fog, soon entirely unable to reason what she was doing and what was good or bad. She found herself smiling again, because obeying Papa was the sole reason of her existence. She was a machine created to serve and surrender to Papa's wishes. Soon, she was going to delete another human because Papa wished so.

This was the right thing to do.

" _Aren't you happy, little_ _ **Trucy**_ _?_ "

" _Yes, thank you, Papa._ "

" _Good girl,_ _ **Trucy**_ _._ "

Her eyes were illuminating red once again. Phoenix's last hope shattered in one short instant.

"Goodbye, Daddy."

Her grisly voice was accompanied by an excruciating torture in the belly. Tears came along as Phoenix desperately contemplated the knife plunging deeper in his flesh, with the blood flowing out slowly after each second.

He wasn't going to make it.

It was the end.

As his life faded into the eternal void of the afterlife, he commenced his entrance into an exotic world, welcomed by strange animal snarls with some more strangely familiar voices in the background. From the sound of it, there were a chaotic commotion and soon more distressed calls while he perceived the form of a new girl coming for him. If that was the divulgence of the so-called paradise everyone wanted to meet so much, he would name this world a reassuring oddity.

But oddity should now be the norm in this unexplored paradise.

He'll sleep well before he'll clearly meet this new world.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: This was actually my favorite chapter to write in this story. I wasn't planning it to be that long. I know, I'm evil. Also sorry for this awful cliffhanger!_


	15. Two Trolling Ghosts

_Few people mentioned Mia from the previous chapter. Well, this chapter reveals all… And Erika Wright: Actually, I think it'd be fun writing an alternate ending where Phoenix is also changed into a robot. XD_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 15: Two Trolling Ghosts**

 _?  
_ _?_

 _ **Daddy? Daddy! Wake up, please!**_

Feeling himself floating above the ground, peaceful clouds flowing along with the gentle breeze, the man leisurely arose from his slumber. Surrounding him was nothing but an eternal landscape of greeneries and lively flowers. His daughter's excited shout continuously echoed, calling him for attention. He turned to her calls, but all that welcomed him was the wind along with the great scenery. All around exhibited colorful setting and the first thing he concluded was that he had been driven inside an appeasing dream resembling an illustration of a children book.

He trailed after the voice, searching for some kind of apparition to greet him, expecting the better or worse. In his previous life, he had learned that physical beings were much more vicious and dangerous than a mere ghost. After all, ghosts could do nothing but watch the living things from the other side. Knowing he will face his daughter's spirit instead of her physical flesh and bones, he assured himself there was nothing to worry about. She shouldn't be able to hurt him, anyway.

 _ **Mr. Wright, we're just here!**_

Oh, there came the brother...

"Trucy, Apollo?" Phoenix addressed, watching around several times but seeing no one but his own self. His confused move seemed to offer some chuckles to the siblings.

 _ **Daddy, you forgot to look somewhere!**_

Damn, were they hunting for him again? He had enough of scary, haunted mansions stories in the middle of nowhere. He had enough of wounds and blood all over him while two killer robots were torturing him.

However, their voices right now... They sounded alive, happy…

Phoenix remained tranquil. If he was in heaven or something like that, there was no reason to be afraid of anything, physical or not, right? As they said back on Earth, dead men couldn't fear, because they were already dead. Of course, he was dead! How could he have survived what his daughter and her brother did to him?

Or rather, what their "master" did to him...

 _ **Heh, still clueless, Mr. Wright? All right, we'll give you the answer.**_

Damnit, Apollo, you snarky boy.

 _ **Just look up, Daddy!**_

Did he have any other choice? Well he could literally choose to not look up, but he'd got nothing else interesting to do in this afterlife. The man drew his view up and he let out a loud yelp when he found himself under two hovering spirits. Trucy and Apollo glared back at him with scornful grins. Trucy's one was especially mischievous, but it probably had to do with the fact she was his family. Like father, like daughter...

"Well, guess I'm dead," Phoenix calmly said, stroking his chin and smiling, totally not bothered by the outlook of not being alive. "It feels weird. I thought I'd see more dead people around. You know, with billions of past humans dead before us… This place feels empty…"

The siblings sneered as they descended at the same level as him. "Don't be silly, Daddy," Trucy laughed back. "There's a reason why you don't see many people."

The doubtful man scratched his head. "Great, tell me why then."

Apollo put his clenched fists on his waist with a blunt huff. "That's because you're not dead, duh," the older brother answered in a manner to give Phoenix the impression like he was some kind of idiot.

Yet, the father only giggled to Apollo's illusory revelation. "You know what attorneys like us love? Evidences," the man commented as a smirk crawled back to his lips. "Give me proof that I'm not dead. I mean, I saw you two… doing stuff to my body and… yeah…"

Apollo's and Trucy's eyes met each other for a short moment before they went for a shrug. They directed their sight back at the man together. Trucy approached him with her wide-open arms like she was welcoming him. "Then come to hug me!" the young girl exclaimed.

Hesitant, Phoenix stared at them with a raising eyebrow. From the look in their eyes, there seemed to be some kind of strange idea running behind, but Phoenix had nothing to lose. He was dead, so what else could happen if he decided to follow as they said? It couldn't be good nor bad.

And above all else, even though he had been living with these kids since like forever, he missed them deeply.

The father spread his arms just like Trucy did and dashed forward, ready to wrap his daughter within his two limbs. Experienced by a rush of emotions, he shut his lids with a smile, running blind, until…

… he dropped down awkwardly on the ground, never reaching or touching anyone.

Shaking his head and his hands clutching after his hair, Phoenix inelegantly sat back, turning his stare around to discover the siblings now behind him, glaring at him with some hint of amusement. Had they moved around to make him fall or something? Since when had they become two trolling ghosts?

"You moved, cheaters!" Phoenix grunted, annoyed.

Apollo protested, "Hey, we've never moved!"

Suddenly, Phoenix was overtaken by the desire to punch his mocking student out of his small anger. When he finally prompted himself to put his striking fist into motion, only now he grasped he was going _through_ Apollo. The man found himself losing balance once more, causing a snicker to escape Trucy's mouth. The father frowned at the siblings as his eyes displayed shock and horror before he dragged his focus over his hands, contemplating them strangely.

"I... I went through you… like a ghost…" Phoenix stuttered in awe.

Trucy floated close to him, her hands approaching his face, but she never actually made contact with his skin. Instead, her cold hands went through him like a freezing breeze across his visage. She gave him a calming, yet sorrowful smile. She revealed, softly, "Nan, it's the other way around, Daddy. We're the ones who went through you."

"Isn't this technically the same thing, Truce?" Apollo commented, his brows shifting into an embarrassed scowl.

"Pffff, Polly, actually, nope!" Trucy insisted with her hands on her hips before she focused back on her father. "Since we went through you, Daddy, this means we're ghosts. Polly and I are the dead ones." Her voice had softened gradually.

"Yeah, remember when I told you that you're not dead?" Apollo added, an anguish pouring over him.

Phoenix suddenly retained a sniffle from emerging as the excitement faded away from the siblings.

"If you were dead like us, you would be able to touch us in this dreamy state," Trucy remarked.

Confused by the telling, Phoenix stared at his hands again. He blinked repeatedly, checking for transparency, any other signs or features that were known to describe dead people's specters, but he found no such things on him. The only particularity he noticed was that he was wearing no pants.

Gasp! No pants!

No one ever told him about it! What kind of dream was that? Damnit! Why didn't the siblings ever tell him?

Two trolling ghosts, seriously!

Well, now that he put more thoughts into it, it was never unusual to find himself naked, in pajamas or without any pants in sleeping dreams…

Still, he wanted to ask them questions. If he was not dead and they were, something must have happened, since he clearly remembered being murdered somewhere, very far away from humanity...

Nevertheless, when he peered back at them, his heart suddenly pressed into a really tight knot. What vision greeted him caused him to choke an abrupt sob out. Trucy and Apollo…

What used to give them the demeanor of two lively, cheerful spirits had completely melted into nothingness, only leaving grief and despair on their shattered expressions. Their dark orbits now presented sad eyebrows and their endless pale skins were covered in dirt. Trails of dried blood sullied all over their hands, vestige of their past, unfortunate victims. Their fallen hair lost their strength and their tattered cloths ghastly danced with the soft, cold gust.

Underneath their transparent, ghastly skin, a metallic structure and tons of wires made up for what should have been flesh and bones.

They appeared… immensely miserable, as if they were begging for help.

" _Daddy…_ "

He heard Trucy's eerie word, but her lips never opened nor moved at the call…

" _Mr. Wright…"_

Apollo's frozen plea resounded inside his mind too. Together, the brother and sister ended their last sentence that would render him completely immobilized.

" _Please delete us._ "

…

" _Boss…? Boss?!_ "

Was he still in the nightmare? A less but still familiar voice lingered, except now, when he opened his eyes, what welcomed his sight blinded him. Intense, white lights prompted him to give into a stinging wince, leaving him conditioned to keep his eyes shut. Strangely, he had a harder bit to move his self around, like he was heavier. He soon found himself stuck on a bed, all his body parts stiffening from what seemed like old wounds and muscles pain concealed under tight bandages. Perhaps sleeping for he didn't know how long didn't help the matter either. How did he know he was sleeping longer than usual, anyway?

His full consciousness progressively came into focus when he was finally able to discern the voice calling him. It had that particular tone he would recognize from anywhere.

"You're finally awake!" the voice called again.

Wait, that voice… She was definitely the same one he caught after Trucy thrust that knife into him…

Phoenix slowly reopened his lids, allowing his eyes to get used to his bright surrounding. He wandered his glare until it crossed the source of the call. When he clearly differentiated her physical shape from everything else, he let a comforting smile out.

"Hey there, Athena," Phoenix weakly murmured to the girl, trying to wave a hand at her but his arms felt too hefty to even be lifted higher than his chest.

That was when he was grasping the reality he was brought back in. Everything smelled like chemicals, and the constant, annoying beep sounds were now being picked up by his ears. When he regained more of his natural ability to move his arms efficiently, he sensed these long tubes delivering IV substances into his veins. Discomfort at the end of each needle piercing through his skin, he learned to quickly forget their presence.

He was probably in a clinic or a hospital...

Out of surprise, Phoenix gulped. He remembered exactly what had happened earlier to him, but he couldn't understand why he was here. He should have died back there! How was it possible to survive such killer machines in the middle of nowhere with no way to find help? Were the ghosts of the siblings telling him the truth about his on-going status as a living thing?

Besides Athena stood her good friend, Prosecutor Simon Blackquill. Not surprising; whenever she was around, Simon would never be too far behind, like a shadow serving its master. A true, loyal samurai…

"We thought you'd never wake up!" Athena exclaimed when happy tears streamed out of her eyes. "We were so lucky to find you in time! You'd probably die if we'd never found out where you went!"

What...? Had they been following him the entire time? "How did you know where I went?" Phoenix asked her, downright oblivious.

Her fists shaking for action, Athena revealed, "Thanks goodness you never deactivated the GPS function on your phone! Oh, and also thank you for having registered your device on your social page! I was worried about you, so I went to your Internet page to see where you were going in real time because you still had your cellphone on yourself. I had Simon driving for me to the place where you were going! We were able to track you thanks to that! That was neat, huh?"

Phoenix froze. He was going to say something, but all that came out was a gasp followed by another gulp. Suddenly, adrenaline rushing inside his nerves, an energy surged back in him. He quickly raised his body, only to shudder from the agony that was brought back to his spine. Athena urged herself to hold her boss with her hands before she helped him stay in a more stable sitting position.

"How long... was I asleep...?" Phoenix stuttered while Athena assisted him.

"Five days," Simon finally broke his silence. "Be grateful. Thanks to the very fast detective's driving and for his first aid skills, you survived, barely. Leave you more minutes and you would have met the river Styx sooner."

"D-Detective...?" Phoenix asked.

"Gumshoe-sama."

So Detective Gumshoe was implied in this too. How relieving…

The injured attorney let himself collapse on his back, gazing at the celling for a moment. He sighed, very tirelessly. So many questions drifted in his mind but so many answers won't ever come up to counter his questions.

"Tell me... what happened..." he demanded.

Athena sadly grinned at the request. Her hands awkwardly made their way to her long ponytail as they stroked it out of uneasiness. Phoenix knew this might be a long story, something he will not enjoy to listen.

But he already acknowledged the worst about the siblings. Nothing could ruin his day furthermore.

The young woman took a breath before starting her tale. "Well, first, I think I should tell you about my blood test result from that day, right? I was tested positive. Apollo and Trucy really put something in my drink..."

That was funny. Athena didn't seem too shaken to expose this, though Phoenix had jolted for her sake. Anyway, he had to remember this occurred about a week ago and she might have moved on with her life already.

"Oh but don't worry, tests found out I had never been touched privately by either of them when I was unconscious!" she chirped more cheerfully than necessarily.

Phoenix nearly choked from the sudden exclamation, but he was glad to be taught this. Obviously, there was no way robots could rape someone...

"Second, when we began to follow you that night, we didn't know why you were going in the middle of nowhere so fast. And since there were no buses using that road… and that we knew you couldn't drive either, we were sure someone was kidnapping you or something. So Simon called his new partner detective to come with us. Just in case, we used two cars, with Detective Gumshoe using his police car. Simon knew Mr. Gumshoe and you were acquaintances so it might be a plus in the case."

"We found an old mansion at around 3AM, like three hours away from the city. We were surprised to find Apollo and Trucy around too! Apollo was already down, but Trucy was attacked by a strange raccoon. Suddenly, she fell down unconscious. We found you close by them and you were dying and losing consciousness!"

So that was when Phoenix had heard Athena's cries. He swallowed, pensive but keeping up with listening to the story. Now, he also remembered an animal's snarl… Maybe that raccoon…?

"Before we could even reach you, the raccoon's eyes flashed shining red and it started attacking us too! It was so scary, but Mr. Gumshoe used an electric gun to stop the thing! It fell down too. Seeing the siblings only appeared unconscious and not really wounded, Mr. Gumshoe went after you first. He used his first aid kit to stop the bleeding and he drove you to the nearest hospital with his police car!"

Raccoon's eyes flashing shining red? Like with Trucy and Apollo?

"Simon and I checked on Apollo and Trucy in the meanwhile and we thought they were sleeping! We tried to wake them but they wouldn't move at all! I cried because I thought they were dead with their cold skin and all… I still couldn't hear their heartbeat and they weren't breathing!"

"Suddenly, the raccoon from earlier woke up and started grunting at us. We thought it was going to attack us again but instead, it snatched Simon's cellphone and started typing on it! It was so strange to see the raccoon trying to communicate with us like that!"

Her tone gained a solemn volume. "It wrote things on the cellphone before letting us read the contents written on the screen. It told us it was actually a robot... And it told us the story of what happened to Apollo and Trucy..."

A frown appeared on Phoenix's visage. He knew the secret already, but it might have been more of a shock to Simon and Athena. The man could perceive a subtle tear on Athena's eyes as she continued with her story.

"It told us they had been changed into robots after a fatal car accident. We didn't believe it at first, but hey, since when could raccoons even write? Why would it lie about it anyway? Also, Apollo and Trucy being robots explained so many things, like their lack of heartbeat and their cold skins. It said that it was sorry for attacking us, because it was being controlled by its master back then. Thanks to the electric shock from Mr. Gumshoe's gun, the connection between its master and itself was permanently lost! Mr. Gumshoe freed it without even knowing! That was literally one in a million chances the electric shock didn't mess with its programing furthermore! How lucky was it?"

"But from the look in your eyes, you probably knew about the two's secret already, right?"

A sighed escaped. All this information at once wholly depleted his energy and he simply felt the need to rest. Maybe resting will help him lift the weight of the revelation and everything. However, he must keep on listening because the whole truth must be said.

"I knew. Trucy told me just before... she ran away with Apollo," he answered.

"That's no surprise," Athena added with a stroke on the chin. "According to the raccoon, just after Trucy told you their secret, their 'Papa' ordered them to kill you since you knew the truth. You have seen it yourself, didn't you?"

"Their psychotic murder tendencies..."

The man shivered to the insane cold words. He couldn't understand how anyone would relate his cherished daughter and nearly son as total psychopaths. After all, their real selves never intended to kill him. They visibly couldn't control themselves.

"Their Papa apparently inserted a code in their core programs so the two lose control between midnight and four in the morning each day. During that period, they will be forced to kill any humans in their uploaded 'list' given by their Papa. If no one's in the list, they will kill anyone else they know are evil people by the standard."

With a silence lasting for a dozen seconds, both Athena and Simon delicately glanced to the side while Phoenix stared at the celling with a blow, more exasperated than ever. Phoenix broke the silence. "Wow, I actually had no idea about that killing schedule. Were they also conditioned to scare their victims before the final tragedy?" No answer came but a shrug from the red-haired girl. "However, I discovered while they were trying to… kill me… that they were the culprits of the antagonists' murders all along. They even confirmed it to me themselves…"

He choked, but he coughed to regain his steady tone. "That surely explains why they were trying to kill me and why they ran away that far so they couldn't reach for me when time hits midnight... As far as I knew, they weren't themselves that night, but they seemed conscious of their acts." No, he refused to add more to the fact that the siblings had regained part of their free will for short moments before losing control again. It would only hurt Athena more to hear this.

The young woman added, "And I guess that's also the reason why Apollo and Trucy knew for certain that all of the murders' suspects were innocent so far. I heard Apollo was defending them with more ferocity than usual, but at least the suspects deserved their non-guilty verdict…"

With the need to sink deeper into the already thin mattress, Phoenix begged himself to search for something particular. All the talk about the siblings being killers and not themselves only plunged his spirits deeper in the darkness, afraid to eventually lose himself. He needed to stare at something happier, like Trucy's and Apollo's sparkling smiles he would always capture with his cellphone, his said particular object. As he went through his pockets, he caught his device, only to find it broken with missing pieces and completely unusable. It must have been one of his falls from the horrific circumstance back in the mansion… As his mind was having a quite difficult moment to perfectly recall these wonderful digital souvenirs, he simply gave up, telling himself it might not be the occasion to think so positively now. Rather, they'll need to find a solution to help the situation.

And because of that, he needed to see the siblings, live.

"Where are they?" Phoenix asked, worried of the answer. He'd expected the world to know their secret now and he was afraid people from secret scientific societies or higher-ups might want to completely alter them to do their biddings, or worse... With everything surreal that was occurring, this cheesy scenario could happen as much as anything else.

Thankfully, the answer reassured him. "They're in an isolated lab room where Ema's checking on them," Athena said. "We wanted to keep this incident isolated, and we thought that we should let only few people know of this. You know how the police and all are wanting the antagonists' murderers' heads, don't you?"

It surprised him more to realize that his old friend Ema Skye was now actually working as forensic investigator after years of labor and efforts at working as a bored detective. He reminded himself to congratulate her when he'll see her.

" _Hey there, pals! How's it going?"_

Everyone were startled by the new voice, only to breathe with relief when a recognizable sight entered the room. Detective Gumshoe stood to the entrance, his tall, almost intimidating body taking up most of the space under the door. The detective looked awful and tired despite his festive voice, but that exactly what he was: gladly content to work in the force.

Athena bounced before him with an overjoyed greeting and Simon shook his hand with a strict smile. Phoenix, still glued to his bed, only managed a "Hey Gumshoe, you look rather tired..."

To which the detective answered, "Yeah, pals! My lil boy wouldn't let his daddy go to work so he cried and... You know toddlers can be little devils."

Well, that was unexpected. Phoenix thought his job was overkilling him... Guess being a father of young children could be overkill too. After all, he was one too at one point of his life…

"Thank you for saving us, Detective," Phoenix commented before he turned to the other two. "And thank you, Simon and Athena." Only now had he realized he had forgotten to thank these two earlier and perhaps it was the best opportunity to make up for his oversight.

However, the wounded man couldn't take his eyes away from a peculiar aspect under Gumshoe's coat. The unneeded obligation to ask the detective about such trivial things overwhelmed him. "Detective, why's your... chest and belly... so, huh, swollen? Sorry if this offends you..."

"No offense taken, pal!" Gumshoe exclaimed while he suddenly opened his coat. Horrified, Phoenix instinctively brought his hands close to his eyes to cover them, pondering why the heck would his friend expose his naked self to him! Since when did the man become such a pervert?!

Wait a minute... that was no naked body under the coat, but a... raccoon?

Suddenly, the living critter bounced on the bed, carefully landing on the side to not contact with Phoenix's weakened body. The man swallowed hard, watching the furry thing as it emptily stared at him without moving from its spot while others laughed. "W-What's an animal doing in the hospital?!" he uneasily stuttered, feeling like a yelping little girl at the sight of an unforeseen, scaring rodent.

"This is the raccoon I told you about! Isn't it cute?" Athena squealed.

"Staring creepy raccoons are not cute!" Phoenix protested.

The detective grinned as he expressed, "You'll get used to it! It wanted to talk to you privately, but since your phone ain't going to repair itself, I'll lend you my laptop so it can communicate with you. How does that sound?"

In the end, wishing to lie down in silence, the attorney agreed to the suggestion with a sigh that could have bested Starbuck's.

Yes, a sigh worthy of thousands of words. Really, how strange and unbelievable was this fantasy anyway? First, his daughter and her brother had been killed in a car accident. Then, they had been changed into robots for some reason or another by a mad engineer or something. After being changed into machines, the siblings had been programmed to kill people at night. Right now, they were probably being studied in some secret lab. To end this, a robot raccoon that seemingly couldn't talk but could write stood there on the same bed as him, wanting to "communicate" with him in private.

He drowsily rubbed his face with his palms, snorting on the path to despair. One of the main questions that were stalling in his mind was how the heck will he tell their mother about this? Will Thalassa even believe him? Will she think of this as a joke? But then, why would he joke about this? That would have been some kind of sick prank only immature children would tell others.

Wait, even immature children wouldn't tell pranks like these.

Everyone else departed from his room, leaving Phoenix to ponder alone with the mechanical critter sitting by his side and Gumshoe's laptop. The man was unable to draw his glare away from the inert animal. The thing did not react to his long stare, and it scared the crap out of him. It looked like a stuffed, possessed raccoon, really…

Phoenix didn't know how to start the conversation with it. He faltered to even start up the laptop but he managed to force himself to power it on after few minutes of ponders. While he waited for the device to completely load, he was welcomed by a rather cute desktop picture with the detective, his love partner and his two children, soon hidden by an endless amount of shortcut icons. He opened a simple text editor software and began typing on it, though very slowly. This finally attracted the raccoon's attention.

 **Hello raccoon. my name is Phoenix Wright**

The animal placed itself between the laptop and Phoenix, staring at the screen in silence before it left a strange, short grunt. He could have sworn it sounded like a giggle, but then, he couldn't speak nor understand raccoon language. Perhaps the grunt meant something far more rational, like a philosophical statement in the beast's tongue... Miraculously, it started to hit keys with a rapid velocity.

 **You know, Phoenix, you can speak to me. I can entirely understand human speech, but I am unable to speak like humans as I do not possess the vocal cords that allow humans to speak.**

Shocked, mouth agape, Phoenix was surprised that not only the robot animal could understand him, but it typed without any grammatical mistakes! Bested by a raccoon, it seemed…

With an awkward laugh, the man asserted, "Well, all right, I don't type too fast anyway. Technology and I don't mix too well."

The animal remained quiet at this. It seemed humor wasn't its best thing… If he could even call that humor.

"What's your name?"

 **My name is Fleur.**

"Fleur? That sounds girl-ish. You're a girl then?"

 **No. Technically, I am not. I am of no gender. However, my body is made from a former female specimen. Thus, by human standards, I am indeed a "girl".**

At this, Phoenix plunged further in his mattress like he was trying to flee the world in vain. He let a long breath out with a gentle, yet hysterical laugh. "Man, I'm speaking with a raccoon like it's a normal thing. I feel so silly." He got hold of himself before continuing with the conversation. "So you are a robot too, I presume?"

 **Yes.**

"Athena told me you were 'attacking' Trucy when I was dying. What did you do to her exactly?"

 **I shut her down.**

"I-I see… What is exactly your relation with Trucy and Apollo? Obviously, I've heard of what you did from my friends and you know things we don't."

 **I am helping them with their new features and new life.**

"Are there other things… or people under the same circumstance as you and the siblings? I mean, transformed into robots…"

 **Not as far as I know.**

The man beamed with relief. "Well, that's good news. I'd be more than horrified if more killing machines are made from innocent people…"

Fleur did not comment on this. Realizing this furry robot probably knew much more about the siblings' new form than anyone else, Phoenix had a tiny share of hope. Maybe Fleur will be able to help them, somehow. His voice trembled, scarcely, "What do you think we should do then, Fleur? What should we do to help Trucy and Apollo?"

 **Kill them.**

…

The answer from the animal had been so direct, so harsh Phoenix's life vanished like a fading smoke. Tears and sniffles came back to him as he reminded himself of these distressing words the siblings had delivered in his "dream".

 _Daddy…_

 _Mr. Wright…_

 _Please delete us._

Their clear, ethereal voices still haunted his mind. Phoenix covered the side of his head, trying to block his ears from the continuous voices, but they wouldn't let him go. His body shivered, his tears poured down over his cheeks and he started to panic. No way… there was no way he was going to kill them! That would make him… no better than their… re-creator…

" _Excuse me, Mister?"_

A new voice that had brought him back to the world. "Huh…?" was all he could mutter out of confusion.

By the door stood a young male nurse, eyes worried. "Are you okay, Mister? I heard you sob and you seemed to be in a panicked condition…"

Wait, didn't the nurse see the animal in the room? Weren't animals forbidden in a hospital? Why no mention about it from the nurse?

"No, I'm fine, thank you for your concern," Phoenix puffed, calming himself.

The nurse smiled. "No problem, just give me a call if you need something!"

When the young man left the room, Fleur immediately revealed herself from her hideout to go back to the laptop. Phoenix rubbed the remaining tears and tried to stop the whines. He couldn't let himself in such a sad position now. He must plead the animal for help…

"W-Why kill them?" he asked, trying to tone his words down.

 **Kill them. They have died once already. Right now, they are in a state where they are neither alive nor dead. Killing them will give them back the freedom in the afterlife they should have acquired and gone to.**

"No…" He couldn't lose hope now. He recognized Fleur might be the only chance to save the siblings now. He will keep up with that animal even if he'll have to cut an arm for this! "Please tell me there's another way to save them. Please!"

Fleur didn't flinch. Misery was all Phoenix's expression could exhibit.

"Trucy... She's my dear daughter! She was my light in my dark times! And Apollo, oh, how Trucy adores him! He's like a son to me!"

 **I saw you in Trucy's memories. She loves you very much. Apollo idolized you when he was a kid. He might not show it, but he sees you as a respectful teacher figure. He loves you too.**

Why was she telling this? It only added the burden of grief to his already heavy heart… "I-I don't want them to... disappear, for something they didn't even ask for... All these murders, they couldn't control themselves…"

Adrift in desperation, the man dropped his face into his hands, unable to speak right anymore as hiccups abruptly interrupted his following attempts at words. He couldn't imagine himself in a world without his daughter, the one who would keep her smile despite having lost everything. If anything, her past situation was even worse than his lost dream. He couldn't bear a life without his first student, the one who looked up to him and helped him regain his dreams, the one whom he had accepted as a part of his family. Trucy and Apollo shouldn't have disappeared that early; they were still so young and full of life...

 _Takatakatak..._

Huh? That sound? Was Fleur typing on the laptop?

When Phoenix freed his eyes from his hands, his concern was drawn back to the laptop screen to see what Fleur had been typing while he was crying alone.

 **Investigate Arthur Edwards.**

Phoenix blinked. "Arthur... Edwards...?"

 **Our Master. Our creator. Apollo and Trucy are programmed to never mention his name, and thus they are only able to call him by Papa, but not I. I can type his name whenever I want.**

Only stutters emerged from his mouth, but as hope gifted him stability in his cords once more, he was able to speak better. "Does anyone else know about that 'Arthur Edwards'?"

 **No.**

A gasp trailed out of the man. Slight fury overtook him. "Why didn't you mention his name to my friends earlier? We could have started investigation sooner than now!"

 **I am a machine. I am created to answer questions, not to answer emotions, not to voice opinions. No one asked about our Master before.**

"I never asked you about him either. Why are you only giving us his name now?"

…

Phoenix was being given another silent treatment. Nevertheless, he could breathe easier now. That was the miracle he needed. Tossing aside the fact that the raccoon might have acted on her own account just now rather than by being slave to her programs, from now on, he will dedicate his world into finding a man named Arthur Edwards. All of the pressures that kept intensifying as the day progressed suddenly lifted themselves lighter like they were soaring away.

"Thank you, Fleur."

There was faith, at last.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: The name "Arthur Edwards" means nothing but a simple search over Google for good names for an evil OC._


	16. Two Death Wishes

_Real life has prevented me from continuing this fic lately. To Erika Wright: Phoenix as a robot has always been one of my alternate endings plans since I started this story, because bad endings are interesting things and I like to write more than one ending. However, I'm still wondering how to write it. Any ideas? XD_

 _Longest chapter, for a reason… Thank you all, whomever read this fic!_

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 16: Two Death Wishes**

 _?  
_ _?_

It… hurts…

Damnit! What was he thinking, driving in the woods like mad at night? Light and humanity were scarce in this wilderness already, and there was definitely no need to rush home to the city. How he despised his hometown, and yet he couldn't pick up the courage to leave it.

Lack of human founding in the area should never be a reason to drive fast because, right now, he was facing a rare occurrence on the road, in this middle of the forest.

Before his self, in their pond of warm blood, two young people lied, their own body fluid spilled by his imprudent actions. His neglected failure as a driver had provoked an accident, simple as that. Let's forget about all these ads against fast driving and rage behind wheels; he had stolen the lives of two young ones, people looking forward a better future, looking up to make the world a better place, perhaps.

Like his past darling's children aspired to achieve…

How he missed them…

 _T… Tr… Tru…_

Wait, that weak, struggling voice… It came from the young man he had killed…! Maybe there was still time to save him!

 _P... Plea... d... don... die..._

But soon, his eyes gave up their vitality…

That was when the old man freaked out. He couldn't hold the remorse against his crime anymore. Instinctively, unable to stop his voice from throwing out incessant curses, tears poured down over his cheeks.

A new murderer was born in this world, and he was the one.

"Nonononono... what did I do? Goddamnit... I-I-I rammed into them... killed... them... Please no... I would never... N-No... I'm not a murderer damnit...!"

Indeed, he was no better than a despicable criminal now, a truly wicked human being wandering among freedom. Criminals like him no longer deserved to live the rest of their existence without guilt following their every moves and thoughts. Shame will be written all over him, forever, now that he had joined the rank of the unscrupulous society he loathed so much.

 _W… Who…_

Another dying voice… from the young woman?

Somehow, her voice drew him closer to the horrific nightmare of her living corpse. That poor girl… Obviously, she was going to join the other boy in a matter of minutes, or even seconds. Calling an ambulance now will only lead to his arrest. Even if he'd storm off and leave their bodies rot far from the civilization, justice will find them eventually.

And it'll find him, too.

… A vicious consciousness from the inside concluded it was the right time to deal over his thoughts.

 _You know, Arthur Edwards, we're getting old. Our lives are at the end of the road, ya know? We keep aging so rapidly because of our stress, mentally and physically, so just leave these young people we killed._

"No! I can't let that happen! I can't leave both of them here! I'll be eventually found out by investigators if they're found dead here!"

He will be found. He had never been a good planner, and hiding their bodies will do no good. Forensic science, investigation, anyone? Out of panic, he kept stuttering nonsenses. "What should I do? What should I do?!" Dropping on his knees in despair, still pondering if this accident was still a dreadful murder, he bawled, watching the two victims, addressing them like they could hear him.

"You two... Young boy, young girl... I'm so sorry I've killed you, b-but trust me... it was an accident... I never wanted to hurt you..."

 _But we just hurt them. We murdered them._

"It was an accident…"

 _Accidental murders are murders._

"No…" His awareness, his regrets, they wouldn't stop bothering him.

 _But we know the circle of life, don't we? We're people of science, after all. It's okay, nature will proceed to carry on with these two bodies until they vanish to become simpler natural elements in the wilderness. Death leads to life, and life leads to death. That's how it works._

… What did it just say?

"Death leads… to life…?" His will arose, a hope was approaching. "D-don't worry… Don't… W-Wait…!"

Thus the devil had spawned, an idea that had sparked; a new purpose to life arrived, and only he was up to this task. For himself…

… and for these two young people…

"G-Guys! Hang in here, guys, I'll use my talent! This… is the only way…!"

His chords spoke on their own, the stutters remnants slowly forgotten, hopeful, but ceasing with a hint of insanity in the mix. In a state of pure euphoria, more tears flowed down, leaving the man crouched over the dying young girl as she let her last breath out. It was okay, death or life did not matter in this case, because he knew what to do. Anyway, death leads to life, right? He felt like a god now, and in his revigorated excitement, he announced, like a mad man…

"I'll give back your lives!"

* * *

 _August 19th 2029, 10:15 AM  
_ _Dye-Young Clinic, Room 215_

"So, pal, how did it go?"

Detective Gumshoe came back as soon as he received a call from Phoenix. The bedridden attorney apparently bore an important message. In fact, when Gumshoe showed up in the room, the younger man had these hopeful sparkles shining in his eyes like he found his life revelation. Technically, he actually found it. Fleur seemed to be nowhere, but upon hearing the detective's voice, she immediately came out from her hideout. This prompted a good, sympathetic laugh to leave Gumshoe.

"Aww, don't hide, Fleur! I won't throw you outta this place," the man said in a cutely tone as he'd do with a pet or his toddler son.

Phoenix retained his stern attitude. "Detective, do you know someone named Arthur Edwards?" he asked, completely sure he'll have a positive response, but of course, that name didn't ring any bells to neither of them.

"Nope, never heard of that man," Gumshoe answered, wondering why the attorney suddenly came up with that name, much to Phoenix's disappointment.

"It's the name Fleur had given to me," Phoenix exposed, a still visible fury visible as his hands formed into poignant fists. "It's apparently the man responsible for the kids' fate, but we have no proof… If you're able to investigate this man somehow, this might help us stop the chaos once and for all."

Awkwardly, the detective scratched his head. "I hope you're right on this one, pal. The people are already celebrating the end of the antagonists' murders by having arrested another suspect. They're sure they caught the right man because the murders had stopped since his arrest. Of course, if Fleur's telling the truth, then that suspect's innocent for sure! We can't really tell the common folks about the truth now; it might just cause turmoil among all. Thankfully, both Simon and Athena have been assigned to this case as prosecutor and defense attorney and we're hitting the second day of the trial. It should start soon in the afternoon so they've already gone to the Courthouse."

Phoenix's eyes broadened. He had no idea another suspect had been found. Now that he burrowed deeper into his recalls, he remembered another client coming the day he had been brought to the siblings so they'd "delete" him. If another suspect had been found while he was in this sort of coma, then that previous client had probably been deemed innocent by now, thanks to his student.

Well, Athena was a good attorney on her own now, and with Simon's help, they will probably name that new suspect innocent too.

"All right, pal! I'll check our records room at the Criminal Affairs department, see if I can find anything!" Gumshoe waved at Phoenix goodbye before he left him alone, once again with the robotic critter.

The truth was that Phoenix had no idea what other kinds of discussions he could have with the raccoon, except for petting her to let his pressure and stress out, like with a therapeutic animal. From how Fleur extended her body upon getting stroked, she seemed to be pleased by the human's move. If she was also created in the same means Trucy and Apollo were, there was a good hunch she had been a living raccoon before. Like the siblings, she must have retained some of her old animal behaviors, like enjoying a petting session.

So, she had a soul, too.

"Hmm, so yeah…" Phoenix started shyly, still feeling silly to speak with an animal. "Can you tell us where your master lives?"

Oddly enough, she only stared at him at the question like a stuffed raccoon. Why would she stay silent over this? Didn't she want to save the siblings too? Was she hiding something? "You don't know where he lives?" he asked, infuriated by the raccoon's passivity.

This time, she began typing.

 **I cannot tell.**

The man's annoyance climbed. "Why not?"

 **He sent a text on your phone. You should still have his address on it.**

Of course! Why didn't he think about this before? He grabbed his phone, only to remind that his device had been damaged and rendered unusable since the attack by the siblings. "The phone's no more and I can't remember where the house is... I just know it was in the rich district of the city… My memories about it are so fuzzy…"

He desperately brought back his attention on the furry thing, shaking her. "Tell me, please..."

She didn't move.

"Why won't you tell me?!"

 **I said I cannot tell, for a good reason. I used to use the connection I had with the house to find the home of Arthur. However, because of the weapon the detective used on me, the connection was cut and so was my way to find his home. I used to follow the signal, but the signal is lost now. I am unable to localize it anymore.**

Crushed, Phoenix dropped his arms in defeat, muttering some silent curses on the way. "That would have been too easy, don't you think?" he grimly mocked the critter and himself. "So you can't communicate with your master Arthur. Can you communicate with Trucy and Apollo right now, at least?"

 **I cannot right now because they are currently deactivated. When they are deactivated, they still have remnant of backup energy used to maintain their communication features. In that state, they cannot send signals very far; only about 50 meters away. If confined in rooms, the length of their signals is shortened.**

"Should I ask my friends to activate them, then?"

 **No. Apollo and Trucy might be dangerous if activated. While deactivated, they still can hear you and see whatever stumbles before their views. They know you and your friends know their secret. Arthur had written a program inside them so whenever a human knows their robot secret, they will be programmed to kill them, like when they tried to kill you. However, I am unable to determine if they will try to kill you during anytime of the day, or during their "nights" only. Either way, Arthur can still control them from very far if you enable them again. He knows when they are activated or not. Even during the day, he can order them to kill you. Whenever Arthur calls them by their first names, they are programmed to fully obey his voice only.**

A short, unexpected sniffle escaped the man after the revelation. Why did that Arthur guy program them like this? What did the siblings do to him to deserve all this, goddamnit? Not only did he "recreate" them, but he eradicated most of their free will that permitted them to cling after their humanity…

 **Arthur is currently the only one with the capacity to change all that.**

"Really?" Phoenix's tone had taken a more hopeful turn. "Is that why you want us to investigate your master?"

 **Yes.**

"So that we can force him to give them back their freedom?"

 **Yes.**

"Wow, that plan sounds... so simple," the man giggled as he was overwhelmed by a rush of ecstatic hysteria. "I'm so going to convince him! We'll basically just need to find him and everything will be fine!"

 **In the meantime, if you bring me close to Apollo and Trucy, I can communicate with them. Also, because we are dead, our souls can contact other lost souls, Apollo and Trucy included.**

Speaking live to his student and especially his daughter was now his most wanted dream. He had so much to ask and so many to save.

 **If you want to go the easy way, if you know a human capable of communicating with the dead, ask them to help you. I remember reading about a human like that in the memories of Trucy.**

A human capable of communicating with the dead...?

An idea suddenly struck him.

"Maya!"

* * *

 _?  
_ _?_

Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright, age twenty-five and eighteen. Half-siblings through their mother, Thalassa Gramarye. Both their fathers: deceased. Defense attorney, and Ivy University student and part-time magician. Both man and woman were part of the "Wright Anything Agency", an office of multiple talents in law and magic. Both worked under the renowned defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, also Trucy's adoptive father. Trucy was technically the agency manager by name.

The siblings were supposed to meet their mother and land in Borginia today, where she lived.

This meant trouble for him.

That was a part of the siblings' memories he managed to gather in his data. Thankfully, he brought them in his lab in time before their corpses deteriorated too much. Their souls were successfully concealed and dormant inside their bodies, giving him enough time to modify them with a more suitable and durable structure. Nevertheless, their planned vacation could bring doom to him. What if their mother noticed her children's absence?

Well, not "if"; she will notice, for sure.

Trying to keep up with his calm, he examined the two corpses immersed inside a strange liquid in their giant glass tubes. Surrounded and inserted by numerous cables and small tubes, their limbs were being injected with all necessary materials that will make up their new enhanced bodies. He'd done this to few of his animal experiments before, and he was confident this will be effective on humans too. After all, he had Fleur, his raccoon pet, to be proud of, his only successful, intelligent and sentient robot.

Thanks to his unique techniques, both siblings will become bright and sturdy robots. They will look so human people won't be able to tell them apart, just like no one could tell Fleur apart from other raccoons. No one will know about their fatal accident, thankfully!

But for now, what to do with their mother? The family should have been reunited by now. He needed a plan to clarify their reason of their absence, but he had always been a terrible thinker. Having been an engineer and deemed "genius" in art and human biology had nothing to do with talents of finding solutions to life problems. It was like saying that one only needed to be good at school to succeed at life when they couldn't even socialize. The truth was one always needed the other aptitude for success.

Hours later, they had begun. Several missing calls and text messages filled the siblings' cellphones, all from a certain Thalassa, their mother. Having unlocked their devices already, he hesitated, contemplating the idea of replying with words explaining that she shouldn't be worried, that her children were safe and sound. Lies like that, you know…

But what acceptable lies could justify the siblings' decision to not see their mother in the last minute? Anyone who'd watch the situation would become furious, if this had been a true scenario, of course…

Only now, another call came over their phones, right in this middle of the night; another ringing that went on deaf ears to their owners. This time, a new caller ID presented itself on their device screen.

Phoenix Wright, their father and mentor, one who lived much closer to him than their mother.

Damnit.

Really, what should he do?

* * *

In the end, telling Trucy's father about their supposed trip to the Steel Samurai resort might have been a decent idea. Phoenix had replied with a three dots character. Guess the man actually believed in the lie, thanks goodness! Perhaps, or rather surely, that father was mad against his daughter and her brother, but for now, Arthur should able to proceed with the bodies' modifications without too many obstacles. As long as everyone believed the siblings were still thriving somewhere and were not "deceased"…

Drowsiness came upon him, but something held him awake, forcing him to approach the glass tanks where the two slumbering siblings gently floated in their special fluid. Fleur was there, completely still, as she stared at her future kinds and probably her new family. The poor little beast had lost all before, and maybe these future androids will fill her need for company.

His sight crossed theirs, though Apollo's and Trucy's half-open eyes were fully bereft of life. Indeed, dormant souls shouldn't offer sign of life or humanity; no clothes, no true contact, no voice and no movement save for their waving hair in the liquid. They must stay like this for few more days before he could work on them again.

" _They might be sleeping, but their souls are sad."_

Startled by the signal that blew out of his phone, he spurred gibberish out of surprise. As he steadied down, he turned to the raccoon robot, recognizing the message she had just sent him to his modified phone. Thanks to his device, he could communicate with her in such convenient manner.

"How can you tell?" the old man asked.

" _We passed on. We are no longer alive. We are the same. Dead ones can feel each other. I can feel their sadness._ "

"You're not dead, Fleur. Stop saying that. I've revived you."

Whenever he'd remind her that, Fleur would remain silent.

Thoughtful, the man sighed, letting his arms collapse heavily. Slumber could still be read all over him, and he felt like he'll be sleepwalking if he lingered here. His bed called him, he thought. There was nothing to see, nothing to do, for now.

 _Papa…_

Nothing to hear…

 _Papa…_

The voices… He recalled them perfectly.

His eyes were set back on the specimens inside their glasses. That was when he realized why he was so attracted by them.

Suddenly, the forms of two vestiges of the past flashed before him, bearing a resemblance with the two strangers he killed…

Alex and Tania, his darling's children.

The corpses' hollow eyes carried psychosis. They craved for revenge. They needed justice brought to the roaming evil that led sorrow and cruelty in this world, the malevolent part of humanity that made up the chaos. The two children demanded order to fight chaos.

Another brilliant idea shimmered.

That was right. Apollo and Trucy won't be purely android roaming among humans incognito. They will also become the bringers of order in this world of chaos. They will become what no one had dared to be, the vigilantes humanity needed. Innocent people didn't need to suffer in the stead of evil any longer.

He will program them good and just.

* * *

 _August 23th 2029, 9:02 AM  
_ _Police Department, Forensic Laboratory no. 15_

When he entered the room, he nearly crumbled to his knees.

Side-by-side on the operating table rested his dear daughter and her cherished brother, their blank, desaturate eyes half closed. Their expression demonstrated nothing but something like an abyss or some void. Part of their clothes had been removed for a more accessible study on them and various pictures and scans of their bodies were scattered around, partially showing the metal underneath their robust skins. A solid knot formed inside his heart at the distressing sight of the two "man-made wonders" like how Ema had been calling them, for science. He was definitely not liking the way she treated Trucy and Apollo like wonderful crafted creations, so much the excitement from Athena's last win in court was totally forgotten.

Even so, he understood there was technically no possible alternative to bring them back to biological life per se. In their current shape, the kids looked nothing more than two inanimate, impassive human dolls.

Athena, Ema and Fleur remained closer by the entrance. Phoenix and his old friend and spirit medium Maya Fey slowly approached the two deactivated machines in the middle of the room, the later one totally impressed by the siblings and the equipment around.

"Are you sure it's going to work, Nick?" the medium asked, not really sure what to think after observing her friend's daughter and student with some contemplation.

"We'll never know until we try," Phoenix said, bitterness included in his response.

"Heh, all right, I'll try channelling one of them!" the girl exclaimed, a little too happily to the man's taste. Perhaps it was merely joy over meeting her attorney friend after a long leave of absence. She did shed tears at first when she heard of the "death" and "rebirth" of the siblings. Yet, she was known to share a very strong-willed soul, able to keep her emotions under control so friends could smile with her. It was one of her characteristics that Phoenix always admired.

Now silent, Maya gave a gentle stare over her friend's daughter before she closed her lids, imagining what used to be such a cheery young magician. She began a deep inhalation, concentrating her powers. Everyone watched her, curiously checking for some physical changes on her body like her family's unique channelling technique. Athena and Ema were especially attentive to this since they never witnessed a live channelling before. Scepticism was evading Ema's doubt; her scientific side persisted to convince her science and occult didn't mix.

Unfortunately, Maya seemed to have come back on Earth with some heavy breaths in and out, totally unchanged but a little tired. Worried, Phoenix rushed to hold her by the shoulders. "Maya! Are you all right?" the sole man asked as he clutched to her, maintaining her wide awake.

In a haze, Maya glanced up to her former work partner with a frown. She managed out, "I'm sorry… I can't channel either of them. That means their souls are really bound to the robot bodies!"

Phoenix's heart sank. He so much wished to have a direct contact with them without having to use his nightmares as the sole method of communicating, especially when he didn't have a good memory for remembering sleeping dreams... "Can you simply contact them, then?"

"Yeah, I can go the traditional way," she declared with a single chuckle. "I just don't use it often because customers always request the real deal..."

Maya closed her eyes again and Phoenix left her some room to let her do the work. Soon, she started softly speaking.

"Trucy, Apollo. Can you speak to me?"

Silence reigned in the room, but Maya actually heard very faint messages no one else perceived.

 _ **Miss Maya...**_

 _ **Miss Fey...**_

It was working! They were calling for her! "Please, you two, is there a way we can help you?"

 _ **Help us...**_

"Help you? We know you need help! But how can we help you?"

 _ **No, no, no, no...**_

 _ **Distress...**_

 _ **Sad...**_

 _ **Hurt.**_

 _ **Help.**_

An orchestra of chaos and eerie murmurs unexpectedly squeezed the core of the medium's soul. As tears escaped her eyes, her fingers from both side gripped to her ears to block what sounded like a concoction of anger and sorrow. She winced from their heretic voices and agonizing emotions.

Their confusion only led to more pain, and Maya was unable to contain these poor souls anymore.

 _ **Kill...**_

 _ **K-Kill… Delete…**_

 _ **Delete us.**_

"Maya!" Phoenix's voice brought his friend out of her spiritual session before he finally caught her shoulders, shaking her endlessly.

The medium blinked uncontrollably. When everything had calmed down for her, she emptily stared at her friend, letting few seconds of rest to regain some of her life. All the others' mouths were agape, speechless. She frowned at them with an anxious glare.

"Trucy and Apollo... they're confused and sad, and they ask us to 'delete' them."

So was that their sole plan B, with no plan A? Was destroying them entirely the only solution? Was his nightmare and Fleur's comments the best answer to end their misery?

"Hey, I've got fantastic news, pals!"

That deep and loud voice could be recognizable from anywhere. Everyone turned to the room entrance to find a broad smiling detective. However, with the few years working with him, Phoenix had learned that Gumshoe's smiles didn't always imply good news. Nevertheless, in dark times where their only option being offered was to abandon his most precious people, any slightly good news was welcomed with open arms.

"What news?" Athena asked, faster than the others.

"That man, Arthur Edwards; I've found information about him!"

Like the sky and heaven had been given to him, a shivering rush of bliss raided Phoenix's entity. Goodness, that was more than a good news; it was the leak of the millennium!

"How did you get information, Detective?" Ema inquired.

"A man by the name of Arthur Edwards fitting the characteristic of a mad scientist has been discovered in our records! Had to pour sweats down full hours to find it, but apparently, his 'crime' of few years ago ain't serious enough, so police never carefully kept his case folder in a tidy space with most others. He had been arrested for animal torture." Gumshoe's hands went after the back side of his long coat, only to bring out said folder with some documents. He offered this to Phoenix who gladly borrowed it.

The attorney slowly opened the pages, his fingers trembling from the excitement. The satisfying recalls of his quite disturbing meeting in the rich district rushed back to him when he recognized the individual on the picture inside. That was undeniably the same old man whom had sprayed something on his face before he lost consciousness. He started reading the texts that came out of the folder.

 _Last Name_ _: Edwards  
_ _First Name_ _: Arthur  
_ _Date of Birth_ _: March 2nd, 1969  
_ _Gender_ _: Male  
_ _Hair and Eyes colors_ _: Dark brown and Blue  
_ _Height_ _: 1m78  
_ _Job_ _: Part time engineer in the robotic and artificial intelligence facility of the Purple Corp Enterprise. Full time teacher in the Biology department of the Ivy University._

 _Date of arrest_ _: Thursday, September 14th, 2023_

 _Reason for the arrest_ _: Neighbours were complaining about the rotten flesh odor and the constant noises from his home. Upon investigating the matter, several bodies of various animals were found inside his home to which few had wires and all sort of metallic parts attached. Edwards had been apprehended for animal torture and was condemned to spend 7 days in detention and pay a fine of 7000._

 _He pled guilty and never denied his crime._

 _Because Edwards only harmed animals for "experimental purposes", he was not deemed dangerous to the society and was free to go after his release. He lost his two jobs upon incarceration._

"Well, that's quite an interesting read," an exhausted Phoenix sighed out. "How's that man so insane?"

Gumshoe's curled up lips told him he might have missed some more revealing information. "You should read the other side of the paper, pal. There's an interesting thing about a possible reason for his odd psychological issue."

He turned the paper to notice few more noteworthy paragraphs written by the policeman questioning the offender.

 _Special Notes_ _: Edwards has been known among his students for dreaming of conceiving robots with the best AI. He also planned to conceive a way to upload greater people's souls into robots to give them technical immortality. He thought this can revolutionize the world if we can robotize the most intelligent people of the planet so their intelligence lasts forever to help humanity. However, when sharing the idea with his students, most considered his dream as extremely unethical._

 _He is also a fervent fan of the plastination technique which consists of preserving body parts and organic tissues to practically last forever. It's a technique mainly used to expose dead bodies as exhibitions for science or simple observation. He has been trying to find a technique to preserve bodies by also preserving their natural elasticity and texture, thus testing his new formulas on animals. It was after animals were subjected to his new types of plastination that Edwards attempted to literally change them into machines by removing their insides and stuffing metallic parts inside them. He'd use their plastined epidermis and fur coat to hide the metallic parts. None of his creations functioned accurately so far so he had discarded all of them._

 _Edwards is also known to have a grudge against the law, the force and the justice in general since he revealed about the murder of his former fiancée and her two children, eighteen years ago. The reason for his hate is because the law couldn't do anything against the culprits of these murders because they were executed by members of the rising and powerful Sainte-Rose mobs family._

 _He had inherited his fiancée's hidden fortune which she, in turn, had inherited from one of her bedridden patients (she worked as a nurse for elderly people, and a dying patient appreciated her kindness so much he gave his entire fortune to her worth few millions). Edwards swore he has never been aware of her fortune because even her children weren't aware of it. She hid her fortune from everyone to find true love because of all her numerous failures in relationship in the past._

 _Edwards was using her inherited fortune to fund his own equipment and experiments._

Phoenix halted his reading by that point, now having a more comprehensive idea of what the old man's goals were and what the reasons for all these frightening murders were. He, himself, understood the limits of what the law could do about the criminals that had been killed under the innocent hands of these two robots. He knew laws couldn't do anything against these despicable parts of the society that people wished they could get rid of. After all, these "antagonists" were abusing the power of justice, finding a flaw in it to get away with their past crimes.

But of course, who wouldn't like to see some ruthless killers from organised crime families getting their deserved sentences? Who didn't wish to see a parent dead after they killed their children for an adulterous issue the toddlers weren't even aware of? Who wouldn't have liked to give a slap on the face to some bully teenagers whose only important people were themselves? Unfortunately, that was how vengeful human beings could become, no matter how saint they were.

Phoenix now recognized why that old man coveted justice for these hateful people, all by himself. Without a doubt, Arthur was the only one responsible for these horrific deaths, because Trucy and Apollo had nothing to do with these.

He only forced his two machines to fulfill his gruesome wishes so they were the ones to sully their own guiltless hands with the antagonists' blood. He swiped their humanity away and locked their souls, replacing them with programs conditioning them to hurt these vile people, to give their deserved justice in "proper" methods.

For that, Arthur was the true killer, and he must pay.

"Thanks, Detective Gumshoe," Phoenix murmured, a harsh, furious tone resounding in the comment. "We can now get the man for what he's done."

But he knew this was too good to be perfect.

A not very subtle discomfort overtook the tall man. "I'm sorry, pal… We still have no concrete warrant to arrest him. Even if we know he killed the kiddos and re-made them, this story's too surreal and we've got no proof. According to the law, the kids are as responsible as that man for all the murders. Since they aren't kinda human or even living things anymore, the law can do anything it wish with them. Be it having them destroyed or totally reprogrammed so they fully become something else, they can do whatever."

Damn, since when had Detective Gumshoe become such a competent man? Still, Phoenix couldn't deny his friend. Without any conclusive warrants, the law and justice were unable to do anything against the man, for now.

Phoenix wanted to do something, anything. He wanted to help, to free the siblings from their burden that had become their artificial selves, from the fate they never asked for.

But he couldn't bear to accept them as mere objects and living dead. He couldn't admit the very idea of destroying them.

And that was why, from now on, saving them will become his personal quest if no one else will be willing to help. There must be another way!

"Boss, let's return to the Agency," Athena commented as she mildly placed a hand on her boss's shoulder. There was a rising irritation surging from Phoenix and Athena knew he needed a good mental rest.

Thankfully, the storm in his heart had quickly lifted off, leaving only calm in his spirits.

He declined her offer with a somber smile. "No, I'll watch over them. It's my... duty as their... guardian," he told her.

Everyone looked at him for few seconds before they nodded in agreement. Ema moved toward Phoenix with some admiring eyes, leaving him her magnetic card. "All right, Mr. Wright, keep this card. Only mine can be used for this room," she suggested him. "Just don't let anyone else in!"

"I'll go back with Athena then!" Maya added. "You find a solution to save the kids! You better do, Nick!"

"Good luck, boss!" Athena exclaimed with a hug to the raven-haired man.

"And I'll try to find the old man myself! You can count on me for this!" the detective feverishly said with a fist hitting his chest. "We might have no warrant against him, but I'll go meet him on a personal sake!"

* * *

 _?  
_ _?_

That Trucy girl…! She had awakened before she was scheduled to…

What happened? Where did he go wrong? Was his timing into conceiving her wrongly chosen? Her brother and she were supposed to be perfect androids with a contained soul, just like Fleur!

Did he give them too much freedom by letting them keep their soul? No, he couldn't remove the core of the human being from them! Without it, these machines will be mere empty shells, non-sentient robots without configuration. Despite this small time of rebellion, Trucy needed her soul with all her former memories to function…

He reminded himself to be careful with Apollo so he will not regain life prematurely as well. This could be more than troublesome if this occurred again, for him and for Trucy.

" _You should not alter them more._ "

"Why not?"

" _You let them keep their soul. Altering them more will remove their true selves. It will make them sad as long as they exist._ "

"I'm only doing what's good for everyone."

" _Everyone does not include these two former humans._ "

Stumped for few moments, the old man decided he better shut his mouth. While he knew Fleur would never go against him, he hated to argue against her. Trying to change the "opinion" of a machine seemed like an impossible mission. They were too stubborn and set on what they had been taught at first.

Unless he altered them…

Yes, that seemed to be the only way, and not even Fleur will detract him from this path.

Just like he planned; Apollo and Trucy will be good, just… and obedient. They will obey to whatever he will order them. They will _delete_ the evil parts of humanity, whenever they'll like it or not. Only then, they'll be able to keep their robot secret from all other humans than himself; only then, he'll avenge his family and all who deserved to be happy.

"Fleur, you must accept their circumstance. In the animal kingdom, animals kill when necessity comes. Apply the same logic with humans."

Unbeknown to him, Fleur doubted his words.

* * *

 _August 23th 2029, 4:15 PM  
_ _Police Department, Forensic Laboratory no. 15_

 _Daddy, why are you leaving us like this?_

 _Mr. Wright, why are you doing this?_

 _Help, Daddy. We want to move. We cannot move our eyes. We are paralyzed. We are conscious inanimate objects. It is a nightmare. We are scared. We want to move but we cannot. Why are you doing this to us, Daddy? Why are you keeping us here?_

 _Mr. Wright, you leave Trucy like a mere object. It makes her sad. It makes us suffer. It makes you a bad human. You know you will not save us like this._

 _Stop trying to find another solution._

 _There is no other solution._

 _There is no other plan._

 _Free us now._

 _Delete us now._

 _Or we will delete you._

Phoenix woke up to another frightening dream.

The very moment Trucy's and Apollo's terrifying red eyes shined through the night, just after they had threatened to "delete" him, he suddenly drifted out of the dream. No matter what solution he'd find, the haunting image of their hanging, ghastly, robotic corpses would counter his ideas with their death wishes.

Well, destroying them might be the best technique to help them under this surreal circumstance, but Phoenix wasn't ready for this.

Damnit! How could he be so selfish?

After a lasting yawn and some rubbing on the eyes, he checked on the operating table to get another curious glance on the inert siblings. He pondered if they could actually listen to what he was saying or even pondering like they had pretended in his nightmare.

Wait, he knew they could, just as the raccoon told him before…

Speaking of the furry, Fleur had curled herself in a ball between her human robot friends, probably resting. Did robots even need to rest, anyway?

He came over them, giving a friendly pet on the animal machine before he went back to the siblings. Phoenix sighed again, shrugging with regrets, begging them to forgive him for his cowardice, for not being able to fulfill their wishes. His daughter's forehead was welcome by a fatherly kiss and an amicable pat on the shoulder came over her brother. Like in all these old children tales, Phoenix oddly expected them to gain back their lives upon his touch on them.

Obviously, no such things came.

On the corner of a table, he encountered another folder in which Ema preserved her notes about the kids' examination. If she had forgotten them, then they must not be that important. His curiosity won over when he decided to take a quick glimpse on them.

An… autopsy report…?

* * *

 _?  
_ _?_

Arthur woke up.

He had no idea how long he'd been sleeping this time. It could have been an hour, an entire day, even forever, or never. Was he even alive anymore?

Ever since he lost connection with Fleur and the siblings, all his body did was refusing to comply with his brain. Either he passed out, waking up enough moments to slightly satisfy his obligatory needs to eat and drink, either he was struck by something similar to a heart attack that would prevent him from doing anything productive, like helping his current situation. It must have been the stress of being robbed of his creations in the hands of mere humans.

Will… he pass out again?

No, he mustn't! He must get up, tame his old body and his illness, and then he must bring the siblings back to him! Now that several people knew their secret, he will be found, sooner or later. He might not be able to control or detect Fleur any longer, but his devices can still detect his human androids! To restart them, he must borrow his special remote and be close to them. There was still hope to get them back!

Carefully scanning for their tracking chips, his GPS device displayed their location around the police station.

Illness or not, that was where he will be going. Too many days had already elapsed, and he couldn't let people find him or study the androids furthermore.

Then after, he could plan what to do with Apollo and Trucy…

* * *

 _August 23th 2029, 4:26 PM  
_ _Police Department, Forensic Laboratory no. 15_

 **The Autopsy of** **Justice** **(25) and** **Wright** **(18)**

Phoenix questioned Ema's choice for the autopsy word when the siblings weren't really dead to begin with. He opened the folder to find some pictures of the unmoving siblings from all angles, sometimes naked, with nothing on their bodies hinting their robot nature save for a metallic lump on the middle of their back. He vaguely remembered Trucy jumping on Apollo to "shut him down". That was probably some kind of "on" and "off" power button in case of emergency.

However, a tear suddenly emerged when some more nagging pictures manifested before him. Even more realistic than his nightmares, the new pictures were actually in-depth scans of what was inside the siblings. These showed each layer underneath their synthetic skins, with a very sturdy metallic armor that covered a labyrinth of cables and wires that making up their entire bodies. From Ema's notes, it appeared the skins and hair were actually their own as they still retain fragments of their very damaged DNAs. Their creator must had used some of his personal plastination technique or stuffing method to keep their original form while leaving them solid enough to withstand weapons and physical attacks.

He now required distraction with something else to forget these awful notes and images.

Mournful but definitely bored, Phoenix browsed through his new cellphone, checking all its features to have him wondering what he should do for now. He wanted to ask the raccoon what Trucy and Apollo were thinking right now by opening his text application so she could type on it. Sadly, like the wimp he felt at the moment, he was too afraid of the answer he'll get. What if their resentment against him in his nightmare were real?

When he made it to his text messages section, he suddenly grunted in despair at one message he had just received from _her_.

From Thalassa Gramarye, their mother.

 **Hi Phoenix, I'm sorry to bother you, but neither Apollo nor Trucy replied to me since yesterday and I'm worried. Please tell me what's happening with them... Thank you…**

And there he thought he was close to forget about her. Ah, the joy of living far from their world. This was something else he needed to work on, and it will be the manner the announcement shall be reported to her. She was their mother and no matter how remotely she lived, she deserved to know the truth as much as anyone else; if not, more than everyone.

What will he tell her? Maybe something along the lines of, " _Hey there, Mrs. Gramarye, your children are dead and have been changed into two murdering robots for the rest of their lives and now they ask us to kill them_ ".

Well, that might work, if they'd live in a world where such fairy tales could be very real.

Suddenly, a ringing song trembled in his hands with another loud buzzing sound accompanying. His heart fastened when his phone screen displayed Detective Gumshoe's name over it. He knew the older man had been personally investigating that mad engineer.

"This is Phoenix Wright!" a hopeful voice was thrown from the lawyer's mouth. "Gumshoe, you've found our man, right?"

But a sigh welcomed him. " _I'm sorry, pal, I came to the address indicated in the records, but the house's been abandoned for years. No one knows where he lives now. It'll be hard to find his new home because there ain't any recent record of his activities, like insurance or bank accounts... This man's hiding his trail pretty well. You sure you don't remember where he lives?_ "

"Unfortunately I can only remember it was in the rich district, but it's a wide labyrinth of similar areas and houses. He must be in one of them."

" _Gotcha, pal! I'll try checking each home then!_ "

After thanking him, Phoenix hung off his cellphone, only to sit back with an exhausted huff. Finding the man will be a hard task, but that Arthur Edwards will be found. He couldn't run away forever...

 _ **Papa...**_

Wait, who said that?

 _ **Papa...**_

That sounded… like Trucy and Apollo respectively! He bounced from his place, immediately getting back on his feet and turned to see the siblings' eyes shining, but at least not with their bloodied crimson ones. He backed away slowly, watching the two staying in a sitting position, wholly mystified and ignoring Phoenix's and Fleur's presence. In fact, the raccoon robot was standing on her back paws on Apollo's knees, repeatedly snatching after his vest with her front paws, but the two human machines merely stared hollowly before them. Was Fleur trying to vainly communicate with them? Was she commanding them?

Phoenix desperately called them, but he was unable to hit for a reaction, at all. They didn't even seem to hear him.

 _ **Apollo**_ _,_ _ **Trucy**_ _. I know you're in the police station. I'm close to your place now. I have reactivated you with my remote now that I'm close enough to reach you. You will immediately come to me. Ignore anyone on your way. Just enter in my car. You will do as I say,_ _ **Apollo**_ _and_ _ **Trucy**_ _."_

"Yes, Papa," they both replied in unison before they violently tossed Fleur and Phoenix out of their path. They bolted for the door and quickly broke away, pushing all that were before them, humans and objects alike.

Gathering his efforts, Phoenix dashed after them to the next room. To his shock, a spectacle of angry and confused people on the ground in a chaotic mess presented themselves, with few flying papers around as an extra. One gunshot resounded, and then the loud shatters of a breaking window blared everyone's ears. Phoenix didn't even have the time to see what was going on until he approached the room with the broken window. People panicked over the event that had occurred in the flash of an instant. No one was aware of what exactly was happening, except witnessing two highly fast blurs of mass tossing people and sprinting for the window, only to disappear outside.

Someone cried, "What the hell just happened!?"

"I don't know! I just saw two people running super fast and get away!"

"Yeah, and they jumped out of the window!"

"I think I saw a guy and a girl, but it's hard to say, they were too fast!"

Phoenix tried to cross through the commotion of baffled people to check over the window. Except for more confused bystanders around the shattered window few stairs below, no one unusual hung there. Trucy and Apollo were gone without a trace.

How did they get reactivated? Who could have done that? Could it be... their man? Maybe he had a remote or...

"EEEEK! There's a furry thing in here!"

Something terribly rapid just passed by him to jump out of the window too. Phoenix's attention was drawn back to the outside ground to find a raccoon, or rather Fleur, escaping toward a random direction on the main street.

Was the animal robot responsible for this?

Will Trucy and Apollo kill more people?

Will the man alter their already modified behavior furthermore?

Will he ever see his two children again?

Phoenix didn't know anymore. The only instinct that came upon him under this disastrous incident forced him to fall on his knees before landing on his fists, sobbing with a mix of agitation, infuriation and misery.

* * *

 _ **Author's notes**_ _: I thought this chapter was boring as heck so I added Arthurs's cheesy parts to make it less "boring". It's the main reason this chapter is so long, but at the same time, it makes up for this very late update. Because it's so long, mistakes are bound to happen. Critiques are welcomed anytime, especially those related to language issues since English isn't my main language._


	17. Two Antagonist's Murderers

_I admit I've been procrastinating lately, for numerous reasons. Oh well, hopefully, this chapter is epic enough._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 17: Two Antagonist's Murderers**

 _?  
_ _?_

 _Hey there, darling,_

 _It must be weird for you to read this letter now. I hope you won't have to read it anytime soon, but if you are reading this, guess it means I'm dead, right? At least, death never scared me. Yeah, weird for this letter to be attached with all the legal documents and my legacy things, lol._

 _Anyway, here's the fortune I have been hiding all this time, from you, Alex and Tania. No one knew about my fortune except my notary lawyer. It's odd, being this rich and never telling anyone else. I'm sorry, I've been waiting for our wedding before telling you to see if you truly love me for what I am and not for what I have. I've had so many failures in love before I met you it's not funny. Alex and Tania are proofs of that, but I love them with all my heart nevertheless._

 _I hope this legacy I'm leaving to you and the children will help you and help them overcome things I couldn't. I hope it will help you fund your dream of conceiving the best robots with the best AI possible one day. Just don't change me into a machine, alright? Haha._

 _Tell the kids to not cry too much for me. And you too, Arthur. You are all so strong. I love you all!_

 _Your fiancée,_

 _Helena Fox_

…

Within his head, Arthur recited that old letter he held in one hand before he folded it back to his pocket.

Whenever his spirits and vitality were about to drop, the man read this letter. Thanks to it, a part of his life was given back to him.

But tonight, the relieving effect the letter would usually give never came to him. Nothing, not even a scrap of hope, not even a tiny light to brighten him. Behind, despair, sorrow and pain followed each of his decisions and actions.

This time, he nearly tore the letter in several pieces. His past, late fiancée, Helena, had written her inheritance and this letter in case anything should happen to her. What she never expected, at the time of creating this letter, was that both her children would face her final fate with her. Yes, the entire family, murdered for something they had nothing to do with.

Unlike the time when he had first read this old letter, he wasn't a thirty-six years old man anymore. Being now at sixty, even if he had at least gone through more than half of his life, he felt like he was still not old enough to start losing his constant focus on the road due to his old age. Maybe it was the stress of understanding that some people knew of his secrets, his actions and even his obvious madness. Everything led him to literally see things in a blur before him. Desperate, he stopped his car and parked to the side of this already narrow road in the middle of the forest. He stepped out, resting his back on the car door for a while before he returned behind the wheel when his sight regained a clearer view. However, he was still unable to drive, his concentration leaving him continuously.

He let himself out of the car once again, taking a deep breath to look at the sun going down slowly in the horizon. He sighed, knowing he'll have to return in his vehicle eventually, which he did immediately after his second deep breathing. He glanced at the back seats to see his two deactivated creations, all quiet, one against the other like sleeping people. Yet, from a closer look, they appeared like two corpses stuck behind belts.

Almost like how he remembered the horrifying nightmares that were the pictures of Alex's and Tania's murdered bodies, a shiver ran down his spine at the same time his heart squeezed itself into a knot. Ah… Alex Fox and Tania Bailey-Fox, children of his beloved Helena, two kids he aspired to have called his own children twenty-four years ago…

But he wished to choke himself by accepting that the bodies before him now were not Helena's children, but complete strangers named Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright. These two siblings whom he had unwillingly stolen their lives...

For that, he was no better than any of the "antagonistic" victims under their murdering hands.

What should he do now? He knew he was found out already. He knew the detective had visited his old home to question him about his actions. Even if they probably had no warrant against him without any proof except, possibly, the statements of his former raccoon pet, investigation will eventually lead to him. Of course, he had seen it in the kids' memories. Their acquaintances were people of the law who were specialized in investigation and forensic. Sooner or later, evidences will pill up against him. He was safe for now, but for how long?

Arthur needed to plan something, fast. Such a talent for artificial intelligence, yet nothing for planning his life… He could try escaping to another country with the two machines by formatting their memories so they won't be able to tell him out, but... no, that was too much thinking. He could simply return home and hope nothing will happen, but then again, maybe Fleur or that attorney will remember where his real home was.

If only Trucy had never told the secret to her father, none of this would have happened. Arthur should have never let them keep their souls. It might have been better to give them a new personality...

But he had to let them keep their souls and their memories. Without them, Apollo and Trucy would be simple, empty vessels, uncorrupted newborns that must relearn everything from scratch. Arthur won't probably live long enough to teach them everything thanks to his current health status. Even fully reprogramming them into new people will take years to complete.

He wasn't enjoying his present position.

Even by calling their names, even by congratulating them with some primitive, yet rewarding words that gave them the experience of pure, artificial bliss... He wasn't actually doing all this for fun. He shouldn't have used most of the programming that was reserved for pets on these two humans, because now, they must be talked like they were pets to make them obey. Harsh and blunt, that was how he had become with them. He had shaped these two innocent souls into nightmarish monstrosities, two former humans now happy to serve him like two mechanical man-made wonders ready to follow their master. They wanted to hear their names so they could fall under total submission; they wanted to listen their master rewarding them for making him happy, because it made them happy too. They were programmed as such like loyal, blind dogs. All this because of his selfish need for revenge, for his own, egocentric self…

But he only had two weeks to program the siblings. Two weeks weren't enough to complete them into perfections. He had to insert parts of the programs he used for Fleur in them to gain time.

If only he had more days, weeks, months and even years...

Or scrap all of that. He should have never created any of these machines in the first place. He should have simply accepted that he was a criminal by accidentally killing two humans.

As the stars were starting to glitter in the dark sky, the old man's gaze calmly rose up. While his scientific side reminded him these sparkling white points were only huge, round and compact plasma energy wandering around dark matter, he somehow began speaking with the stars like they were his only sentient friends.

"Helena," Arthur called to the sky, his raspy voice quivering. "What do you think? Do you think I'm the biggest scumbag around? That I'm a nasty human being for trying to give justice in my own ways? You were such a gentle woman I still have no idea why you wanted to marry me... And I still don't know why your two children, Alex and Tania, liked me so much... Look at what I've become."

"If only you were still with us..."

That was when an idea hit him.

Finally. He might still be a ruthless scumbag with this new idea, but to get away with this issue, asking for forgiveness will wait. Now was not the time to repent for his past sins. Arthur Edwards was an engineer with a bright future ahead, even with his old age, but he was now a cold-blooded criminal and he won't be able to change back to his former innocent self. It was already too late for him.

He had nothing else to lose, after all. He had already lost everything.

He grabbed his cellphone and typed a new message on it.

A message to their guardian, Phoenix Wright.

* * *

 _August 23th 2029, 9:15 PM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

No one knew where to find the siblings. Witnesses outside the police station only remembered two shadows running out of the shattered window and going in a car. None of them paid attention to the vehicle plate, but one witness remembered the car model: a common old model with a generic grey color.

Basically, with so many owners of that specific brand, this will lead to nowhere.

When Detective Gumshoe heard of what happened, he thought this might be a good idea to drive in the rich district to look for an old gray car, but his searches brought him to an endless loop. It was getting late and the man had to return home to help his children ready for bed because his wife suddenly fell ill.

Having no other alternative, Phoenix called his dear friend Miles Edgeworth for help as a last resort. The chief prosecutor was a personal acquaintance and a man to trust. Miles had accepted to travel his companion back to the agency, ready to hear more of the story of the two kids and Phoenix's precarious position. If a man of power like him could help, this will rise his chance to save the siblings, even just a little bit more. Nevertheless, he was unable to find out how his friend could help exactly.

Both were alone in the Wright Anything Agency, with Miles commenting, "Your office's a mess, Wright."

Ah, Edgeworth, always the classy and snobby man from the noble class. "Mess's the least of my worries," Phoenix bluntly answered.

"I'm sorry. If there's anything I can do to help, please do tell."

The defense attorney gave away a sad laugh. "If I knew what to ask you, I would have done so already on our way. Gumshoe's already in it, but since this is an isolated issue, he's doing all this in his spare time. I just... don't know if I should ask anyone else for help... Going for the mainstream or the rest of the force to find that Arthur Edwards will raise too many questions as we currently have no warrant against him. Also, who'd believe us when I'll tell everyone what happened to Trucy and Apollo?"

Another buzz shook inside Phoenix's pocket. He clutched to his cellphone again when he glanced at the sender's name on the screen.

Mysteriously, the name was shown as "Unknown" with an equivalent unknown phone number. He opened his messaging software, only to halt shut at the text his eyes were peeking at. This picked the other man's curiosity over the message, so Phoenix decided to read it loud enough.

 _Mr. Wright,_

 _Meet me and your children ASAP at this point on the map you can see in this_ _ **link**_ _. Bring your friend, Miles Edgeworth._

 _Do not bring any other electronic devices, not even your phones. I will immediately detect them and if you do, you'll never see your children again._

 _Do not bring anyone else. Miles will suffice. If I know you're bringing more people with you, I will order your children to kill you again._

 _No one else must know about the message I'm sending you. If someone else other than Miles, you and I know about this message, the children's life will deteriorate furthermore._

 _Rest assured, I've tamed them. They won't try to kill you unless I order them to. Your name has been temporarily retired from their "list"._

 _I'll be waiting with Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright. This will be your chance to get them back in your life._

 _Your man_

...

"Edgeworth... this is our man... He has my daughter and her brother..." Phoenix's laments trembled like a dying leaf to a strong breeze, holding up to its lingering stem.

"This might be too dangerous..." Miles kept his composure, trying to stay sharp and formal. "Sadly, your children are already dead. The ones that man is holding hostage aren't Trucy and Apollo anymore. They are mere machines now."

Miles jolted from shock when his friend unexpectedly burst into tears. "No, Miles, you don't understand!" Phoenix cried to the other man before he toned down his voice out of discouragement. "I've seen their souls; they're still there! Maya was able to reach for their souls; my Magatama reacted to their lies. They're just... neither alive nor dead..."

The chief prosecutor had always been a man of science, believing into nothing but concrete, physical proofs. However, things had been so surreal when he had used his friend's "magical" tool himself, that Magatama, years ago. He never knew that a spiritual thing could have helped him gather the truth out of people. Yet, he remained sceptical about anything related to souls, ghosts and spirits. How he wished to open up to this mystical system like his foster sister would have done.

"Wright, I'm not sure if I should believe you this time," the prosecutor began, his voice still more blunt than ever. "However, I will help you if this is what you believe in. You have helped me when no one else believed in me, not even myself."

Phoenix's outbursts momentarily stopped so he could look back at his companion, tears dazzling with remnants of gloom to let hope take over. Miles forced a tiny, empathetic smile out of his solid, permanent sulk, which appeared odd and more like a grin. Amusingly, Phoenix knew that meant genuine compassion from the former devil prosecutor and he never felt that grateful.

They will save the siblings together tonight.

"T-Thank you so much, Miles..."

* * *

 _August 23th 2029, 11:36 PM  
_ _?_

This place smelled familiar.

Wait a minute, he remembered this place! Wasn't it the same haunting mansion where he woke up, only to be pursued to death by the kids? Why did Arthur choose this bloodied place? And why in the middle of nowhere?

Thanks to the soon-to-be full moon and the lack of light pollution, this abandoned mansion was more visible than what he recalled. He could now see them from afar, these calm, glowing crimson eyes of the siblings. Trucy and Apollo were standing alongside an old man, the later one obviously nervous with a trace of insanity in his expression.

The two robots remained wholly static, their hollow, frozen gaze glued to the new human intruders that were Phoenix and Miles. They were trying to make their progress slowly inside the mansion, or rather this messy ruin. The old man with the living machines had a shy grin, the type a normal human being couldn't keep in place when something entirely satisfying occurred to them. It appeared, right now, that Phoenix's and Miles's presence was the cause of the deranged man's satisfaction.

To lighten the surroundings, the robots and the old man had placed each of their cellphone on the ground with their flashlight enabled. This gave the humans a more convenient area to see. Watching the elder and his two underlings illuminated from below gave this horrific image an even eerier ambiance, like a cheap horror movie poster.

"Welcome to this place, Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth!" the old man greeted the two humans with a step forward. "I'm glad you came as we discussed!"

"It's not like we had a choice," Phoenix muttered lowly to himself, looking on the side. The spectacle of the siblings without reasons and thoughts was too much for him, but he succeeded a higher, furious cry. "More like you were forcing this on us, Arthur Edwards...!"

The old man gulped at the name, but he retained his calm. "So, of course, you know my name by now," Arthur spitted out with a huge disdain.

"You're the one responsible for these siblings' death and misery!" Phoenix shouted back at the despicable elder.

"You've got no proof, Mr. Attorney," Arthur added, a smug making its way over his face, almost like he was mocking the father. "The only proof you might have are the tales of a silly little raccoon or these two children. You know my robots can lie, don't you? You've probably seen their lies in action."

"How funny, coming from the two grandchildren of a famed magician who was practically a living lie detector. Don't you find this funny, **Apollo** and **Trucy**?"

Like an excruciating slap on the face, Phoenix jolted when the siblings literally stiffened at the mention of their names, like the old man was holding them under his absolute control. It seemed it confirmed itself when both swiftly smiled, their spooky voices chilling all to the bones.

"Yes, Papa."

Such obedience, such sorrow... It was not like them…

Arthur teased Phoenix again, sending him shivers, "I'm sure you've heard of that little feature that was given to them, the one which I can add a name in their core list so they'll be tasked to 'delete' someone between midnight and four in the morning. Don't worry; I've taken out your name from it. They won't try to delete you anymore, unless I order them to, that's it."

... The setting was getting darker, soon surrounded by some spiritual chains...

One red psyche lock appeared...

"Edwards!" the unexpected and loud call from Miles interrupted the conversation. Phoenix jumped from the fright, his friend nearly forgotten in this mess. "Out with it! What do you need from us?"

"It seemed the chief prosecutor is a little brighter than you, Mr. Defense Lawyer," Arthur commented, his grin now wider with more irrationality. "Indeed, I'd need something from you. Actually, I need more than 'something'... That's why I brought you two here."

"Well I'm not gonna lie. I did re-create these two kids so they could be 'alive' once again, with few tweaks, of course."

"But I'm the only one who can alter them back to their original mental state. Yes, by original, I mean before the accident, when they were still humans and full of life, a life where they won't be forced to play the role of nightly murdering vigilantes. Isn't that what you want, Mr. Wright?"

Goodness, was that what he wanted? Phoenix had never wished this more in his entire life! It was like a dream come true, a fairy tale and its cheesy, yet great ending anyone wanted to occur. Sadly, great endings always came with great sacrifices, and surely, that Arthur won't give life back to the siblings without a "fair" exchange, won't he?

"W-What do you want then?" Phoenix asked, his raspy cry expressing his fear for what was to come, but he'll have to hear this eventually.

"I have few demands," Arthur started before he casted his stare at the chief prosecutor. "First, Miles Edgeworth, you're a man of power. You're recognized as one of the most famous lawyers around, even the media. I want you as a messenger to the world to show my works and I want to be recognized for it. Wouldn't humanity be great when they'll learn they can literally revive their freshly deceased ones into immortal beings? Imagine the possibilities... Science is so great, but humanity is not eternal. Imagine that you can keep a great mind forever; a human turned into an android can continue his or her researches without death bothering them! A single great scientist robot with its former human soul will find the path to cure AIDS after two centuries of researches, all by himself or herself!"

The speech was so insane Miles felt the need to vomit. Only a mad scientist from a B horror movie would agree to such thing. "You made these two children twisted versions of themselves!" the prosecutor hollered with disgust. "You've created two monsters, two statues to be sculpted to your liking! How's that science? Trucy and Apollo never deserved that fate! They never asked for this! This is completely immoral!"

"And that's why I won't display neither of them as parts of my works," Arthur commented. He appeared quite sure of himself. "People will know what happened to them. They will know they have been 'killed'. I can't use my raccoon Fleur either. I've lost connection with her for whatever reason, but that means she's a defect, just like the others before her!"

"No, I'll just create more. Apollo and Trucy only took two weeks to conceive. All I'll need is another animal. There're plenty of them available in the wild."

Miles stayed silent. He didn't know if the old man was actually speaking his rational mind or if he was simply mad. He didn't even have the time to process the idea in its entirety that Arthur started his second request.

"Secondly, Phoenix Wright, you and your protégés form a legendary defense team. Eventually, people will know about the death of **Apollo** Justice and **Trucy** Wright." The siblings tensed at their names, now absolutely ready to await orders from their maker. "Investigation will happen, and I will be found as a suspect. No matter how much time will elapse, people will find out about their robot nature and they know they had 'died' for it. And that is why, Mr. Wright, your agency must defend me when this happens and, of course, you must fight for my innocence. If I can't be found innocent, then the lighter the sentence, the better it will be for the fate of these two kids."

"You're insane! You've forced the two to kill, and you're a killer yourself!" Phoenix couldn't hold his anger anymore, his yelling suddenly out of shock.

To Phoenix's eruption, Arthur simply let a giggle out. "You know, these are my two requests if you want to get your children back. Don't you want to see them back in your life? I will take out the feature that is conditioning them to murder at night. They will be like the kids you used to know. You will see your precious daughter back and you will see your precious protégé back, only if you accept my two requests."

That was when a strange remote surged out from the man's pocket before he introduced it to the two horrified men. Phoenix dreaded about how this remote actually functioned. Common senses will say that pressing some of the buttons on that remote will trigger a disastrous effect for the siblings.

"And that's why I have a plan B, Mr. Edgeworth and Mr. Wright," the old man said as he waved the remote before he pointed at one of the buttons. "I have used this remote to reactivate the siblings earlier. Of course, I have to be few meters away from them for it to work."

So, that was how Trucy and Apollo woke up without warning in the forensic room... Arthur was nearby the police station when this happened.

"Hopefully this will help in your decision. If you refuse one or both requests, I will press this button. This button will completely reset their memories anew. That means they will no longer remember who they were, they will not remember who their loved ones were, they will remember nothing about you. All their memories will be just like a formatted hard drive with unrecoverable data. They will disappear in some unknown abyss forever."

 _No, Arthur wouldn't dare to do that, wouldn't he…? No, please…_

"And you know what I can do with two human robots who can't remember a thing? I can mould them into whatever I want. I can show them to the world as two mechanical entities made entirely of artificial intelligence and synthetic materials. They won't be able to tell anyone what happened to them, because nothing ever happened to them. They were created by me, born from no biological means in their processes to come in this world; without biological parents involved in their birth. That will be how they remember they came in this world. Wouldn't that be awesome for the common people to find two intelligent androids that think and behave like humans while they never had been humans? Everyone will praise my works, they will praise these two machines. Everyone will want one for themselves."

"Perhaps I can even rename them. I wouldn't mind recalling them with more fitting names like Alex and Tania, heh..."

"NO!" Phoenix's scream came out so suddenly and instinctively he scared himself. It was even worse than what he had imagined. Who could even think of ripping off such precious treasures like loving memories from these two innocent youngsters? Just thinking about forever losing his dear daughter and the one he would have liked as a son prompted a thin stream of tears falling down his cheeks, unable to contain his agitation. Trying to remain calm, Miles grabbed Phoenix shoulders to shake him lightly, attempting to soothe him down.

"Wright, stay strong and sharp! That man only wants you to lose your temper! You're doing exactly what he expected!"

The father struggled under his friend's hands. "Trucy's my daughter...! And Apollo... I can't let them down...! They want to be free from their... prison..."

"Listen, Wright..." Miles used his softest voice to appease his friend's spirit. His try was at last successful when Phoenix's fights gradually stopped, only leaving his heavy breathing wild. "I know this is hard, but you won't be able to make rational decisions if you're losing yourself. Don't let your kids down. They're counting on us, especially you, to save them."

"I-I-I know..." Phoenix returned his glance at his companion. "But by accepting his demands, we're drifting away from the truth... I cannot... accept... his request..."

"I heard you, Mr. Wright," Arthur's mocking voice from afar echoed all around the mansion. "You remember what I'll do if you refuse, right?" He waved at the two humans his remote again. " **Trucy** and **Apollo** will be so saddened to see you as traitors, or rather happy of their completely new life with their formatted memories. But I'm giving you another chance to think, and this time, it will be the last one."

Crushed and defeated, Phoenix abruptly clutched after Miles, letting his friend's vest absorbing all his cries. Phoenix sobbed uncontrollably, "Miles... I don't know what to do... That man killed them... He's an even worse man by forcing them to dirty their innocent hands for him, for his so-called justice..."

"Wright..."

"I... will try something..." The father returned his attention to the old man. "Arthur...! I... Before I make my decision, can you at least... let me speak with the kids?"

The mad engineer raised an eyebrow at the same time he stroked his chin. With a little hum escaping his mouth, he reached to a conclusion. "Sure, why not?" Arthur finally said. "After all, **Trucy** and **Apollo** are your kids. I don't know if it's going to help you or them, anyway. As long as they hear my voice saying their names, they are willing to listen to me only and not others. Isn't that right, **Apollo** and **Trucy**?"

"Yes, Papa."

 _Damnit, damnit! Stop saying their names..._

"Truce, Pollo... I know you're hearing me..." Phoenix desperately called them.

… They didn't flinch.

"I just want to tell you... how much I love you. You're both my family, even you, Apollo... I miss your magic shows, Trucy, and I miss your sarcastic comments, Apollo. Your mother, Thalassa... how much would she give just to see you again?"

Still no reaction. The man wept a little more.

"Please... let me see your true self tonight... It might be... my last time ever... I miss you so much, Trucy, my dearest daughter, and Apollo, my dearest student..."

... Still nothing, at all.

The father collapsed on the floor, his face glued to the ground as more whines grew off his throat. His hands changed into angered fists but his eyes were still full of sorrow.

There might be no hope left.

"Are you over with it, Mr. Wright? I'm getting tired of your shenanigans," Arthur started, seemingly annoyed. "I'm giving you a second chance and I'm letting you call them already. Now's the time for your decision."

The sinking attorney raised his head up to glare at the wretched elder and the two innocent souls prisoner of their own synthetic bodies. All were intensifying their eyes at him, Trucy and Apollo never moving from their spot, but Arthur began breathing harder. It might be a stressful time for all of them, including the mad engineer. Or maybe he was just ill. The elder didn't appear very healthy, anyway.

Phoenix's lips trembled in his next speech. "Truce, A-Apollo... I..."

 _ **D... Daddy...**_

...

Even without the incredible Gramarye's eyesight, even without Athena's impressive hearing, he plainly perceived it.

Trucy's shivering call.

She was listening to him! She was fighting!

"TRUCY!" Phoenix screamed after her in hope her consciousness over her programs will linger.

His hopes soon crumbled when Arthur brought back the remote. The old man's thumb soon made its contact on the fateful reset button.

"You're leaving me with no choice, guys!" he cried with his twisted grin. "Time for pl-"

Arthur never ended his sentence. A very fast blur of... something small violently pushed his entire body to the ground, causing him to lose his grip of the remote that escaped and landed with a loud clash on the floor. The elder let a loud, aching yelp out upon the contact on the ground before he immediately went for his remote.

Except the fast blur was already clutching after it and it ran away with the device until it halted its track beside the two confused lawyers. Now motionless, everyone but the two human robots surprisingly stared at the now revealing blur.

It was a raccoon.

"Fleur...!" Phoenix and Arthur called at the same time.

Everything had occurred so quickly neither of the lawyers really knew what was happening, but it was Miles who started shouting after Phoenix with a zealous, "This's the opening we've been waiting for!"

And how right he was! Without the remote to alter the siblings, both Miles and a now much fervent Phoenix hurried toward the newly harmless elder who had just lost his greatest weapon. There was hope now! Phoenix nearly shrieked with joy when he was about to catch that wicked criminal. He'll finally get the justice he deserved!

" **Apollo** , **Trucy**! Push these two humans away!"

Their course was brusquely ended by a pair of inhumanly strong machines shoving the two men to the ground. The landing for them was so hard Phoenix's mouth threw out a slurp of blood. It hurt, but it was nothing compared to the siblings pinning them to the ground with a very heavy foot on their chests. Even with their greatest strength, neither Phoenix nor Miles were able to toss the siblings' legs away.

They were having a hard time breathing.

...

Suddenly, their legs took off.

Catching back their breaths, Phoenix and Miles painfully looked up to witness a sort of miracle. Apollo and Trucy turned their back away from them to glare to the opposite direction, straight to where their "creator" was still struggling to get back on his feet. And from where they stood...

Their eyes shined brighter red than ever and they kindly smiled.

When Arthur realized what was happening, it was too late.

It was midnight and no one was on their killing list.

After his savage bounce that could compare to a graceful feline predator, Apollo's fingers immediately caught his Papa's neck. He was making sure they were pressing hard enough against his skin, veins and bones so there could be no words out of his throat. Now, Papa will be perfectly shut and won't be able to utter neither his and his sister's names.

Because Papa was an evil human. Papa had been very mean to good humans like Mr. Wright and Mr. Edgeworth. Papa had been very mean to his dear sister Trucy, his dear friend Fleur and himself. Papa had been very mean to all other humans.

And for that, Papa deserved to be deleted.

"Do not cry, Papa," Apollo softly told Arthur as his hands carried on with crushing his neck harder. "You cannot cry, anyway. Your vocal chords are now shut."

The old man's face shifted to pure crimson as he tried to spread Apollo's fingers apart, but these metallic wonders under the machine's skin were made too robust for him. Soon, Arthur's own hands slowly gave up when he couldn't see anything but a blur as his almost non-existing breathings were becoming harder and harder to come by.

He wasn't going to make it and he was terrified.

"You will not say our names ever again, Papa," Trucy's tender voice added as she stood behind her brother, watching the entire scene with an angelic smile.

However, Miles and Phoenix couldn't watch the kids murdering another human being, even a loathsome pig like their current victim. This wasn't the justice they'd been taught! "Trucy! Apollo! Stop this!" Phoenix bounced after them with Miles trailing behind.

Trucy immediately pushed them away, one by one. Her ghostly red eyes darted once again at the two men as she sweetly murmured, "Daddy, Mr. Edgeworth, Papa will be deleted. Do not try to stop Polly."

 _Guess I'll be seeing you soon, Helena, and you too, Alex and Tania._

 _Or maybe not._

 _You were so nice. You'll probably watch me fall into some hell from your heaven. Goodbye._

A snapping crack resounded from Arthur's neck as it gave up under the pressure of his killer's hands, blood protruding out from the solid nails that had deeply penetrated under his fragile epidermis. His whole body immediately dropped cold to the ground, never moving again at the strange, twisted satisfaction of his dark creations.

Apollo's and Trucy's blank gazes were glued to the new corpse of their latest antagonist.

Their Papa, the human they were unable to name, had been deleted, at last.

Helplessly witnessing the scene, Phoenix and Miles clung to their spot for a long minute, unable to make clear thoughts of the very recent occurrence. Arthur was dead. That might just be the end of this hell.

Wait a minute... didn't Arthur say he was the only one able to alter them back the way they used to be? Was that wicked trash of a human being really the only hope for the kids? And yet, that trashing hope had just been thrown away...

Phoenix was the first one to gather his courage to call the siblings with such a new optimistic, yet sobbing voice. Maybe they'll fully listen to him, now that their master was no more.

"Trucy? Apollo?"

They turned to him, their sweet smiles now gone. Their horrifying red eyes remained, though.

"We'll... save you..." Phoenix sniffled.

Miraculously, both called him. Their voices were hollow.

"Daddy."

"Mr. Wright."

...

They ran away.

In the darkness of the forest and mountains at night, their silhouettes quickly disappeared in the abyss, leaving the two humans totally dumbfounded.

Dropping once again on his knees, Phoenix struck the ground with his fists, crying all his grief out.

He couldn't even tell if these were tears of happiness or despair.

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: No, I actually don't feel bad for my OC._


	18. Two Simpler Objects

_Tons of explanation to explain why the siblings acted like in the previous chapter._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 **Chapter 18: Two Simpler Objects**

 _August 24th 2029, 12:16 AM  
_ _Pica Forest, Abandoned Mansion_

An animal's cry suddenly brought them out of their deep thoughts. Surprised, the two men stared at a small furry creature, the source of the incessant grunts.

Clueless, Miles couldn't confirm if this raccoon was truly related to this current event or was familiar with any one around here. He was at least confident enough to admit the animal had saved their day, or rather, night. Either it was a random critter hungry for stealing human technology, or it was someone's pet. Its presence couldn't possibly be coincidence.

Wait, he did remember Phoenix briefly speaking about it. Arthur did too. Both even called it by a name when it appeared before them.

So, that raccoon was a robot and probably Apollo's and Trucy's friend too.

It still had the stolen remote under its back paws. However, it was holding one of the siblings' cellphones with its front paws. Remarkably, it began typing on it.

Phoenix appeared less amazed by the scene. He must have seen the animal in action before, unlike Miles. Tossing his last sniffles away, Phoenix started reading the message over the phone screen.

 **Do not worry about Trucy and Apollo. They will not kill tonight anymore. I know I told you they will kill you on sight, but I was partially wrong. They are programmed to kill only one human at a time or one given group of humans at a time from a specific category.**

"Category? But are they going to kill, like, more the following days if we don't do anything?" Phoenix asked, worried.

 **They might. However, as long as they remain far from humans, they will have nothing to kill. They will kill only if one or more of the following requirements are met:**

 **There is one or several names on their list and they know where to find that or these humans with the said names. If the siblings do not know the people associated with these names, Arthur Edwards must input specific information about them, like hair colors or eyes colors, until they have sufficient information to recognize said humans.**

 **They know one or several evil humans that wander freely and they know where to find them. They sufficiently know what is considered good and what is considered evil in human nature thanks to their souls and past memories.**

 **They know one or several humans other than Arthur Edwards that know about their robot nature and they know where to find them.**

 **If none of these requirements are met, they still will be out of control at night, hopefully with no human part of their "requirements" on their way. However, if they wander around at night and find one or several evil humans on the spot, they will kill them.**

 **As long as they stay away from all humans, you and your kind will be safe.**

...

So much information in one go... This scored a greater confusion to the man. "But... Trucy and Apollo know that we know they're robots and, yet, they didn't try to kill either Miles or I!"

 **This is where I was wrong too. They will kill you on sight only between midnight and 4AM. They will not kill you outside that range of time unless Arthur orders them to. Now that Arthur is dead, this is theoretically impossible for this to happen presently. Yes, unfortunately, they have killed humans outside their "nights" because of Arthur's orders. They did it twice, actually.**

 **Also, if they did not kill you tonight despite you two matching the last requirement, this is because they have already killed Arthur. Do you see the numbers on the requirements list? If more than one requirement is met, the previous one prevails. That is why they went after Arthur. You both are not part of the number 2 requirement, so Apollo and Trucy did not consider you as a part of the group where Arthur fits.**

Then that might be a trap Arthur had set up. He really had a plan to get both Miles and Phoenix killed if things would have gone wrong. Perhaps he did not expect to be part of the "evil" humans himself… "So, the siblings will still try to kill us on sight if no one else is around us," Phoenix added.

 **Yes. However, they will not target you if they do not know where you are or if they know they are too far to reach you in time. Remember, they will not try to kill you during day time. As long as you do not meet them between midnight and 4AM, you are safe.**

The pressure gone in one instant, Phoenix hysterically let his gentle chuckles out. It was the relief he needed in such dark times of his life. Learning that Trucy and Apollo were out of danger with all people safe from them was the sunshine of his day.

"Do you know where they escaped?" he asked the furry.

 **Yes, there is a tracking chip implemented in both of them. I can track them and calculate the distance between the three of us. That was how I could follow them as soon as Arthur enabled them again earlier. As long as they do not deactivate themselves, I can follow them from about 100 km afar unless an obstacle obstructs their signals, like if they are hidden too deep inside a mountain.**

Phoenix's grin took a wider turn. He was happy, once again, knowing he was guaranteed to find the two kids more easily now no matter what. "Do you think they'll go farther than one hundred kilometers?"

 **They might. They can run faster than the fastest human but they are slower than a normal car. Even if they go outside my detection range, a system in the home of Arthur will be able to track them from anywhere. You do not have to worry.**

This time, the man frowned. "But we still don't know where he's actually living."

 **You will find his home. You know his district. I am sorry I cannot find my way anymore. Arthur did not give me a good eyesight like he did with your children. I mainly rely on signals and smells to find my way. I will try to help you find his home.**

A robot with a sense of smell? Now that was unexpected…

"Then let's go find them," he spurred with a hint of hope sparkling in his stare.

 **Unfortunately, they are actually aiming for the mountains chains, where it will be impossible to reach with a human-made vehicle. They still run fast in the forest and can climb mountains faster than a normal human, even without the use of human tools. You will not be able to reach them today.**

Nevertheless, Phoenix just won an answer for most of his most irksome questions. He could rest easy. Trucy and Apollo couldn't have gone too far, for now anyway. If Fleur had told him the truth, then the siblings will be found one day or another, no matter where they hid.

What a price, to gain strength and technical immortality at the cost of such freedom, such features they never asked for.

However, whenever some good things came, the opposite must come along. Miles returned to Phoenix and Fleur with a serious sulk on his lips, prompting a scared gulp inside the defense attorney's throat. He was aware this stern expression on his friend meant bad news.

"Wright, I know you want to save the kids, but..."

He was right about the bad news.

"... if found, Trucy and Apollo must be put down."

He knew it. Of course, Miles would disagree with him.

"Why?" Phoenix asked his companion, acting like a clueless dude struck by his defensive temper.

"We've seen them in action. They've tried to kill you and I. They left you to die at the man's orders. They've killed this man with their bare hands with absolutely no efforts. While we have no concrete evidences, there is a great chance they were the ones behind all the gruesome antagonists' murders. You cannot deny how dangerous they remain for humanity, even if they hide away from us. They still have their murder tendencies. They will live with this for the rest of their existence..."

"...unless someone finds a solution to change them back with their old personalities!" Phoenix cut Miles as he looked back at the bloodied corpse of the man.

The chief prosecutor suddenly cringed with confusion at the idea. With Phoenix Wright, nothing usually astounded him anymore, but if his friend was really thinking what he was thinking... "Wright," Miles began, a very low, unsure tone perceivable. "I hope you don't mean... the ridiculous idea of requesting Ms. Fey to channel that old man to help you into 'reprogramming' them...?"

Phoenix frowned with horrified eyes. He instantly objected, "What?! No way! Why would I ask THAT man for that? And I don't think he'd help us anyway! No, I mean... we should ask for a genius engineer, programmer or something..."

Exasperated, Miles sighed. "Wright, they still have killed someone and others. You even witnessed it as much as I did. Normally, criminals like them get the death penalty without question. When we apply this to non-humans, like animals, they are immediately put down. Since we can no longer consider the siblings humans, I'm afraid the society cannot let them roam freely anymore. This is our laws. I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but that's how it works."

"But you can't blame them for this, Edgeworth! Arthur forced them against their will! They just want their freedom once again like before!"

"And that's why you should put them down."

... Phoenix will have such a hard time to counter this, because Miles was right. When people die, regardless how unfair their lives had been stripped of them, they needed to remain dead. What happened to Trucy and Apollo came with a certain level of unfair, immoral cruelty, but their souls must move on. They even requested true death several times, and that was why Phoenix felt like losing this lingering battle, simply because he had failed to comply with their last wishes. It didn't help that he might as well have failed to give them protection when they needed it.

Perhaps he could convince Miles that since they were neither humans nor animals, they could be treated as simple tools on the same level as a gun, a knife, a car or even a puny little spoon. None of these objects could harm unless they were manipulated by someone, or something with the ability to move, which was exactly how the siblings proceeded with their fateful acts. However, his pride as a father and mentor refused to even compare Trucy or Apollo with mere objects, because objects like knives or spoons were devoid of consciousness and sentience. From their last meeting, he recognized for sure that both "machines" were quite sentient. Even Miles couldn't refute this.

Yet, if the system considered the siblings as sentient, then it'll probably put them to "sleep", forever, for having to act with their own awareness.

Either way, the same doom awaited them.

He found himself obliged to accept this. He must.

He understood it was for their best.

Drained of his persisting energy and watching as his hope crumbled to nothingness, Phoenix wearily muttered, "Let's find them... I'm just... exhausted to the bones now. Anyway, as Fleur wrote, there's no way we'll be able to find them now…"

* * *

 _August 24th 2029, 7:37 AM  
_ _Happytree Street, Arthur's Home_

Detective Gumshoe had gathered all his powers to wake up early to visit each residence of this prosperous district with Fleur. Thanks to their efforts together, it took a little less than thirty minutes for the little robot to recognize the right house.

Standing before the main entrance door, he tried calling for presence inside, then he used few knocks on the door and some random ring bells. Soon enough, silliness wandered in his thoughts when he realized the owner of this dwelling was kind of gone for good. Well, at the very least, the idea that someone else might lived in this house came to his rescue to make up for his stupid mistake.

After someone obviously failed to show up, even without an official warrant, he shot the door handle, and then he easily infiltrated inside (he reminded himself to pay for the door later, just in case...). At first glance, under the roof of this place, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, save for the usual domestic mess from a lack of some tidy roommate's presence.

Around the messy living room, several old dusty family pictures of three people rested over the pieces of furniture. Curiously, most of them consisted of a middle-aged woman, a young man and a young teen girl. Another man sometimes appeared with them, radiant smiles brightening him as he posed with the rest of the family like a proud father.

On a closer inspection, that man resembled to a younger and livelier version of the bad guy, Arthur. Recollecting the notes he read about him in the criminal record, he realized the woman and the two younger ones were probably Arthur's fiancée and her children.

Gumshoe's heart squeezed in silence. He reminisced the calamitous story that occurred to the family, about their murders by an organized crime syndicate. He must remind himself that he, too, had a wonderful family with a woman he loved and two children. He tried to push off these awful hypotheses of what could happen if his own family was suddenly taken away from him. He cursed himself at that mere vision and he experienced shame from it.

From the pictures with the entire family, all must have loved each other so much.

Arthur might have been the vilest and the most despicable man in this story, but he didn't definitely have it any easier. Maybe he was only an unlucky man under unlucky circumstances leading him to the madness that ended his life.

Nevertheless, this did not merit a reason to inflict torment and misery upon Wright's kids.

When the detective descended in the basement, trailing after his little companion, Fleur's cries directed his interest to a random working desk with a normal looking computer. The desk itself had nothing unusual, but apparently, the monitor touchscreen struck as the more important feature because the raccoon began pointing at it. Gumshoe started navigating through the system and once again, nothing out of the ordinary caught his eye. Opening a command prompt window, the critter started typing in it.

 **ReMeMb3r_He!3N _AieX_ &_7 Nia**

The detective squealed with shock when a part of the wooden floor slid aside, a meter behind him. Gumshoe peeked above the new opening as it revealed a secret passageway further down with deep dark stairs. From the top of the narrow passage, a chill ran down his skin, giving him a rush of goosebumps through his entire body.

A pathway to hell, that was how he perceived the new passage.

Leading the way, Fleur powered the light switch for a more convenient walk to the detective. Gumshoe slowly climbed down the secret path, using a hand to avoid hitting the walls and the celling. Soon, he stumbled upon a very wide laboratory of wonders which could have made plenty of scientists and engineers alike envious. He wondered how someone like Arthur was able to hide such a wide underground place for so long. Even so, how could he have even afforded this? He had to remember the tale of his former fortunate girlfriend, or perhaps not so fortunate, for giving her riches to him.

Each room of this seemingly futuristic lab appeared to have their own function. One room contained some operating and self-caring servers. Another one acted as a place to assemble pieces of robotics. One more hosted lot of chemical products and some very huge liquid tanks, giving this particular room an odd odor and a distinct feeling of a sci-fi horror movie scene. There were other rooms around, but if he'd ever find himself waking up in this very creepy place, he was pretty sure he'd be extremely frightened to the point of suicide.

And to think Fleur and especially Apollo and Trucy probably woke up somewhere in one of these hellish rooms... Even as robots, could they sense... fear?

Gumshoe discovered another room with few computers, more working desks and several notebooks. Since the author of all these things was not here to bother or stop him, he should have no problem reading these notes, shouldn't he?

He caught the one entitled " _How I conceived robots from humans, by Arthur Edwards_ ". The title itself seemed insanely fascinating, like the author had put humans under the same level as laboratory animals.

When he opened it, he nearly screamed with terror. Thankfully, his own hand quickly blocked the sound that was coming out of his throat. Several pictures of the kids' bloodied naked bodies unveiled themselves before him. From the look of it, it appeared they had been into some very deadly car accident. There was no way the siblings could have survived that! Gumshoe almost admired the intensive revamp Arthur had achieved to make them "alive" again like nothing ever happened. He was used to see murder scenes, but it was not every day he was driven to see that much blood ripped from a human being.

The detective closed the notebook to look at another one, and this time, he grabbed the one named " _Fleur, my pet raccoon, and how I re-created her_ ". Suddenly, when he had an animal in mind instead of a human, the title felt more bearable. More details surrounding Fleur's life and how she came to be what she was now were meticulously written in such details he couldn't understand most of it, at least on the technical side. He had always been skilled in fidgeting with technology, but Arthur's knowledge in robotic was beyond compare.

He decided to read a part of her backstory out of curiosity, from her adoption by Arthur, her pregnancy from an unknown male in the wild and her two kits that resulted of her motherhood.

"Wait a second..." Gumshoe spoke to himself before he turned to the raccoon. "You had kids before?"

Fleur listened and she nodded.

The detective read loudly some more paragraphs until he uncovered information about the furry babies being given away to some foster human families. He closed the book, pitying on the small robot for having lost her kits before he proceeded to give her a comforting stroke on the head.

Unbeknown to the detective, all that was filling the raccoon's mind was happiness. The joy of being taught that her two kits were not dead like she had always imagined and might currently be taken care by foster families purely granted her the sensation her life was now successfully accomplished. When she was still alive, she couldn't fully grasp the concept of human emotions, thus the only emotion when her kits disappeared was confusion; not even sadness had struck her. Ever since Arthur gave her a chunk of humanity knowledge, she had learned to live with new emotions human beings must endure through their lives. Not that she hadn't welcomed these negative human feelings; these emotions helped her appreciate her awareness and existence more.

Especially when her needs to be a mother had induced her to see both Apollo and Trucy as the children she lost, despite being literally much younger than them. Of course, she had been a machine longer than them, though.

She was suddenly so ecstatic she forgot that the other human detective was still over here investigating the surroundings.

"Guess we've got enough proofs of Arthur's murders! We should call the others for the news, don't ya think, pal?" Gumshoe's grin was wide and pleased.

Fleur stared at the human for a moment before she nodded in agreement. That definitely was a great idea.

* * *

 _August 24th 2029, 1:40 PM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

"Can you still detect them?"

 **Unfortunately, I cannot anymore. They have been moving from place to place until I can no longer detect them. I theorize they are avoiding human contact at all cost and are hiding from human areas as far as possible. By doing so, this will allow them to reduce possible casualties since they will theoretically only have four hours to search and reach for evil humans. As I mentioned before, the servers in the house of Arthur should still be able to detect the siblings thanks to a special tracking program.**

A painful pinch crept to Phoenix's heart at the answer. They needed to find the siblings as quickly as they could before another undesirable tragedy ensued under their hands.

"Then we should go there, now that we know where the house is," he forced himself to tell with his raspy voice. "We'll need someone to stay in the house while we search for them."

Startled by the statement, Athena quickly bounced by her boss, pondering about what he had meant exactly. "You're going to search for them?" she asked.

"Of course, I will, but I'll need help."

Her hands shifted into pumping fists. "Boss, if you go, I'll come with you!"

"No," was Phoenix's blunt answer to Athena's enthusiasm which withered to deception fast. Anger had almost overtaken the man from his protégée's reaction to the entire ordeal, like everything was a fun adventure to her. He immediately got a hold of himself, knowing he had been overreacting. Athena was wise and mature enough. She was reacting like anyone should, like someone willing to do anything to save Trucy and Apollo from their unwanted fate.

He clearly perceived the sorrow and frustration in her eyes. She objected, "But why? They are my friends too! They're like the family I wish I have!"

"I need you to take care of the agency," Phoenix replied, using the authority he barely ever used. He even felt uncomfortable for the moment and for her. "The antagonists' issues still remain officially unsolved. We're doing everything to get their suspects off the hook like they should, and it seems people like our experience with these cases. I need you to watch over this."

Obviously not on agreement, Athena was about to protest, but she soon came to realize her boss was right, somehow. If no one was willing to defend an innocent client because all agency members were busy hunting for wandering androids, then someone else must. For now, it seemed only the red-haired girl was up for the job. She had rarely stood behind the defense bench alone, but she believed herself to be skilled enough to work with the job on her own. Surely, the boss must had believed the same, right?

"You should hire someone to drive an helicopter in search of them, then," she suggested.

"We cannot possibly request that," Phoenix responded. "The ones coming with us in the helicopter will know about the siblings, and we can't let them know this. There are already too many people knowing their secrets."

"But everyone will have to know one day or another…" the girl complained as she gritted her teeth in despair. "It's so unfair to keep the truth away…"

"It's for safety, ours and everyone else's."

Neither of the two attorneys really wished to comment further into the matter. They had been thinking of a solution that could work and bring the siblings back to humanity, by either keeping them or destroying them. Of course, Phoenix would rather focus on the first choice, but the rational part of his mind recognized the second option was more convenient for all, except for himself.

In such times, he shouldn't act selfish like this.

Should he go search the siblings, Phoenix grasped it might not even be safe at all, but he had the extreme luck of having survived many hardships, like murder attempts and falling huge cliffs. He will survive this trip, hopefully. Unfortunately, nature and he didn't mix very well, and he was aware for sure that his path to the siblings will be filled with a much hostile nature.

A faint smile finally sneaked out of Athena when she made up her mind that it was a hopeless cause convincing her boss to accompany him in this difficult quest to find their targets. Folding her arms, determined as ever, she exclaimed, "If you must go, then all right, promise me that you'll bring them back here all safe and sound! And most of all, please survive!"

Phoenix sighed, but he ultimately flashed a chuckle at her. "I can't promise anything but I'll definitely do my best. Thanks, Athena."

Satisfied by Athena's decision to stay, Phoenix returned to the robot raccoon. "Fleur..." he started after sinking deeply into the couch in pure exhaustion. "Do you think you can help bringing me to them? We could use the help of someone to stay in Arthur's home to check for their whereabouts with the special servers. With their help, we'll use a cellphone or something for remote contact! And when we'll be close enough to them, you'll be able to track them by yourself, and I'll follow behind. Agreed?"

Seemingly unsure at first, Fleur remained unfazed for a while before she finally gave a nod. She must have processed the plan Phoenix just conceived.

Now, he hoped the Gramarye children weren't running to another state or even a new country. He'd have to call Miles again for travel resources…

Let them be somewhere else than at the top of a mountain or the deepest bottom of a cave…

* * *

 _September 7th 2029, 11:38 PM  
_ _?_

An orchestra of darkness flowing with the stars above, the moon, the cliffs and the forest entertained them, sounding serenely in this remote mountain. They lulled themselves into the harmony of the soothing breeze and the chanting insects. With no artificial sounds other than the very existence of their selves, they admired this distant little world, far from the loathed, ugly humanity, far from their former kin. This beautiful, cherished world; oh, how they wanted to stay here forever! But then again, how could they really distinguish beautiful and ugly worlds? Was this a simple attempt to regain their lost humanity?

Between the dark and humid rocky walls of this cavern, out of reach from civilization, Apollo and Trucy tucked in together, close to the entrance, gazing peacefully at the sky in its radiant splendor. Their memories recalled what were really beautiful to their eyes, and they remembered these celestial glitters in the night as calming, wonderful things to observe. Especially deep in Apollo's soul, something about them reminded him what he used to love from his previous life, and that was spending plentiful nights with his old friend, Clay.

He should have been up with him right now, if only he wasn't stuck in this mechanical body.

They listened to the gentle and comforting songs of nature together. The relaxing noises were lullabies to their ears, reminding them how good it was to sleep under soft sounds. Though they were unable to sleep anymore, they were at least allowed to dream.

Turning his sight aside from the wonder of their celestial celling, Apollo looked back at his hands and clothes. For days escaping humans, he had contemplated the remnant of the dried blood belonging to the sad excuse of that former living human they could only remember as "Papa". Ironically, even the time hiding away from all couldn't cleanse his limbs of the fragments of Papa's presence. Somehow, even by focusing on the trace of the repulsive red stains, he didn't care about having killed that human and neither Trucy did. Normally, after their hunts, they always experienced some guilt for their actions. For once, they didn't.

They even started smiling at the prospect of having ridden this world of the disgraceful stench that was their creator… no, more like re-creator. It was justice given admirably and even maybe their target and own Papa would have been proud of how efficient they were programmed at their "deletion" as they could perfectly distinguish whomever was "good" or "bad". No normal machines should be able with such feat… They were able to regain a part of their freedom by deleting him, but a part of them still dreaded of their current happiness. How could they have been so overjoyed to delete a human being, even a wicked one?

Were they starting to become full machines, through and through? Were they enjoying their lives as compliant robots enslaved by their programs that taught them "deleting" was the right thing to do? Were they losing their fight to keep their humanity for the rest of their existence?

After all, during their escape from the human world, they had counted two more unfortunate victims under their hands. They still reminisced the fear in their victims' eyes; one from a serial rapist hiding in the woods, and another from a very brutal beating husband to his wife. Watching their fear had brought them some delight and satisfaction because they had saved other humans in the process. They possibly made these humans happy by deleting bad humans from good humans.

Their happiness suddenly became their greatest fear.

 _ **I am scared, Polly.**_

 _ **Why?**_

 _ **I feel like we are less human, and more machine now.**_

Apollo didn't answer Trucy.

 _ **We are losing our humanity with time. I fear the time we will reach the point of no return, the point when our souls will simply forget everything, the point when we will be nothing more than machines made to serve our former kinds. Our souls will finally be moulded and mixed with the impassive codes we are made up. I am scared, Polly.**_

"Trucy, don't cry."

Startled by Apollo's voice, Trucy gazed up to her brother's orbits. It actually shocked her how he was using his mouth to speak his mind this time. She was usually the one to initiate a vocal communication, but for once, the thought hadn't come to her first. She quietly smiled at him. "I'm not crying," she whispered, a little amused.

"You're crying inside, I can feel it."

She giggled in delight. "We can't cry. We're robots."

"Duh, I know that!" Apollo vigorously objected.

Trucy suddenly felt refreshed, like she was alive again. Apollo was still her same older brother, like when they were both humans. How she would give anything just to be able to revive their humanity with other humans once again, close to their family, their friends and even strangers…

But they couldn't return to live with them anymore, right? They were prisoner of their programs, their caged artificial bodies, doomed to be a threat to their old kin forever. How they were going to miss life with them!

"Can humans… find us here?" Trucy murmured, hugging her brother tighter like she will never part away from him. He was all she had now, anyhow.

To her joy, Apollo returned the hug. "I don't know, Truce. Someone like Mr. Wright or his police friends might try to search for us, but we're pretty far away from them. We're in the mountains, and no one can find us here unless they deliberately decide to come in our very spot. Fleur should also be too far to detect us too."

This time, Trucy whined. "I don't want them to find us. We're programmed to delete them, because they know our secrets."

The big brother gave an amicable pat on her shoulder. "But you miss them, right?"

The little sister moaned her sadness. "I do, immensely."

Leaving a sad snicker, Apollo pulled himself closer to her. "It's all right, Truce. We're in together. You'll never be alone because I'm right here! I'll always stay by your side, no matter what!"

"Heh, that's right, silly. We're just forever alone, but together alone!"

Definitely, there was nothing funny about being alone, missing everyone and running away from family because they will die under their own hands if they met again. However, both were letting out uncontrollable giggles from their tiny excitement over such little discussion. When nothing was left for them, every small pleasure of their artificial life was much appreciated and fully enjoyed.

They will attempt to be happy; not as machines, but as humans, as long as they could. If their humanity will one day vanish from them, it won't be now.

Disappointment quickly came back upon them as they surveyed the minutes and seconds left before midnight will hit their internal clock. They retreated together in the total darkness of the cavern they now called home. When they hit the end of the grotto, they sat down before trying to lie down on the ground, each using their arms as pillow. They mildly closed their lids, imitating their former kinds like they were initiating their slumber. Of course, robots couldn't sleep, but if that was their personal method to stay human, then anything could work, no matter how bizarre it was.

Maybe then, when they'll lose control of themselves at midnight, they won't try to delete more humans, and especially not their family. Humans were too far away from their spot. No humans will find them, and neither Apollo nor Trucy will find any human in time. At the very least, since they discovered this new home five days ago, they hadn't met and deleted any human.

Let it be that way, forever…

A stranger sound caused their eyes to flicker wide open. When the siblings dragged their stare toward the cavern entrance, where the sound came from, they immediately jumped on their feet.

Not only did they recognize the small silhouette of the moving thing they were facing, but they also identified the "coding" inside it.

"Fleur…!" they both called the raccoon standing on her back paws, the siblings smiling at her appearance.

" _Apollo, Trucy, you are safe,_ " the little critter exchanged as she raced after them in the darkness. " _I am sorry to hide my presence. I was afraid you would have escaped if you detected me._ "

Dumbfounded, Trucy raised an eyebrow at her with a pout. "Huh? Why do you think we'd escape, Fleur?" the young girl asked, perplexed. "You're part of our family too! We're so glad to see y-"

There wasn't enough instant for Trucy to finish her word when another silhouette appeared before them. Their very short bliss suddenly shifting into something much desperate, both she and Apollo panicked upon recognizing the new one.

…

"Mr. Wright…?"

"D-D-Daddy…?"

The man appeared worn and beaten by the harsh setting of this mountain. He was panting hard like an asthmatic person, catching back his breaths now that he had found the siblings after interminably following the raccoon in the mountain. It must have been so hard on him he wished he could simply collapse and get his good night sleep on the rocky ground. A most projecting characteristic on the poor tired man was the awful odor of sweat and humidity from his very rude physical climbing efforts. However, as soon as he noticed the glowing cyan and hazel eyes of the siblings who were clutching after the other at the end of the cavern, a share of his hidden energy surged back inside.

Phoenix widely beamed at them, his eyes weeping some happy tears, but his sobs sounding distressed and drained. He looked like he could fall at any second. His voice trembled when he spoke to them. "Trucy… Apollo… P-Please don-"

"NO!" Trucy cut her father with a scream as she hung on tighter to her brother in despondency, downright freaking out to the point of nearly losing control. "Go away, GO AWAY! You'll die if you stay here! We… We can't protect you from ourselves…!"

"Mr. Wright, please," Apollo implored his mentor, worried as much as his sister. "It's midnight soon! We're… we're going to lose control… We're programmed to d-delete you… You still have time to run away from us… Please go away…!"

But the man remained here, even going as far as approaching the two machines slowly, still having his compassionate smile on his face. Trucy whined her sorrow louder. Soon, realizing her father will not run away from them, she forcefully hauled her brother and herself into the tiniest of the corners. She simply desired to hide from the man like a frightened animal cornered by its butcher, a livestock that had nowhere else to hide but to meet its ultimate fate.

"I'm not going away," Phoenix commented, still self-assured of himself. "I just want to meet you two before…"

"…before you go?" Trucy finished her father's sentence with a very coy voice.

Her father sighed, "Yes, before I go."

There was only a meter separating the siblings and the man now. It took Trucy and Apollo few more seconds before they finally approached their shaking hands toward him. Phoenix's smile intensified as he gently laid his own hands to theirs. "I've missed you two," he explained contently. "I'd like you to come back home but…"

Releasing their hands, Phoenix jolted when Trucy yelled after her father with another long whine. She quickly wrapped her arms around him. "We've missed you tooooooo…!"

Apollo took a step away from the father and daughter, kindly smiling back with an uncomfortable scratch behind his neck, almost like he was indirectly congratulating them on the reunion. He decided he needed to give them their own family space too.

Only one minute and twelve seconds before midnight…

Trucy smoothly pushed her father away, her sight to the ground like a shameful little girl who had done something wrong and awaited punishment. Technically, she literally had done something wrong, unwillingly. "Are… are you going now, D-Daddy?" she timidly murmured. "If you go now, we might not find you… You still got time…"

But Phoenix didn't go.

Trucy and Apollo were frightened.

"Don't worry, I won't die, I assure you," the man exposed with a laugh. "My friends say all defense attorneys are made of steel, right?"

When Trucy began to whine harder and louder, Apollo stepped in, trying to keep his panic under control, but he was virtually shaking like his sister. "M-Mr. Wright! This is no time for jokes! There are only forty-three seconds left before midnight! Go aw-"

"I told you to not worry. I'm not leaving."

The siblings froze.

"Let's just… enjoy our remaining moments together, shall we? Trust me on this," the father snickered.

They didn't know what to do anymore. In mere seconds, they will lose control and they will delete the man before them. After all, they almost did weeks before, didn't they?

As their hope snapped when Phoenix refused to budge from his spot, they both simply whined together, miserably contemplating the short seconds before the doomed time.

If only they were dead for good, as they should have been… but somehow, they grasped they were programmed to fear "death". Their souls had demanded death upon them so they could be free, but they realized something in their core programs would never allow them to intentionally delete themselves or be deleted without a fight. Basically, their system conditioned them to automatically attack anyone who'd try to bring them to death or deactivation!

Apollo recalled attacking Trucy involuntarily when she prevented him from deleting Mr. Wright by deactivating him. Trucy also recollected the memories of having attacked Fleur when she did the same thing to her. They were unable to control themselves when this occurred.

Why did Papa do that? Papa wouldn't have wanted his two masterpieces to delete themselves just like that, didn't he? Self-destruction, or rather suicide, was too much of an easy option to everything…

"Daddy…"

Only seven seconds…

"Goodbye…" both Apollo and Trucy bade farewell to their mentor and father, sulking regretfully at him.

"Goodbye," Phoenix finally spoke with an astonishing thrill. Only his tears crashed his strongminded façade.

Apollo and Trucy only comprehended half of what Phoenix just said when midnight hit their internal clock. While their souls drowned deep into the haze of psychotic codes to let their murdering programs take over, the sole human dug his hand into his pocket, exposing a remote out.

It was their Papa's remote.

Phoenix flinched with grief as he opposed his sight away from their now shining crimson eyes.

"I'm sorry, Trucy, and you too, Apollo. I love you two…"

…

 _I've taken my decision, Fleur. I'm going to find them and deactivate them with the remote._

 _ **Do not do this without thinking, Phoenix. Apollo and Trucy are programmed to automatically attack anyone whom they know have the intention of shutting them down, midnight or not.**_

 _Then they won't know I'll be there to deactivate them. I'll speak with them and all until their clock hits midnight. I-I want to enjoy my time with them…_

 _ **Do you not think this will emotionally hurt them more? They will already panic once they will see you.**_

 _I-I don't know. We'll see what happens, but I want to see their true selves before… the end…_

…

As Phoenix relived that past discussion he had with Fleur days ago, he pressed a button on his remote. At the very instant, the siblings descended to the ground, their eyes losing their vivacity as they plunged into complete darkness, their bodies shutting down like the two simpler objects they had become.

At last, a fragment of their humanity was given back when they were finally able to "sleep".

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: Cheesy angst is everywhere in fanfictions. This story is no exception. And before someone asks, yes, Fleur could have pressed the "deactivation" button right after she stole the remote. Thus, Phoenix wouldn't have needed to pursue the siblings, Arthur wouldn't have died and no drama would have ensued in the cavern. Fleur's just not the brightest soul._


	19. Epilogue: Two Rebirths

_I admit, Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Fire Emblem: Shadows of Valentia took ALL my free times. Also, well, see author's notes at the end, but at least the story is "completed" now (after three months or so, I know…)._

 _Disclaimers_ _: I don't own Ace Attorney and its characters. Capcom owns them._

 _?  
_ _?_

 _Where am I… I can… not move…_

…

 _Polly?_

 _Trucy._

 _Where are we?_

 _I do not know._

 _It is all dark here, but I detect several objects scattered around us. It is dirty. There are a lot of ashes around. What happened? Why are we here?_

 _I remember. Mr. Wright and Fleur found us when we hid from them. When midnight occurred, Mr. Wright deactivated us with the remote of Papa. Maybe he brought us here while we are deactivated._

 _Polly, I am so scared. Why are we here? Why can we not move?_

 _We are still deactivated, but our souls awakened, I guess._

 _No, this is a nightmare. I do not want to remain here as an inanimate object forever._

 _I am sorry we have to come to this, Trucy. Maybe humans will reactivate us. Maybe not. We are deemed too dangerous for them now. We hold too many crimes against them._

 _What are humans going to do with us?_

 _I do not know, but whatever they will do to us, I hope it will be for their good. It will be okay. We will face this together. Do not worry, Sis._

 _Thank you for being with me, Polly._

…

… _I can hear Mommy speaking from afar. I can see her. I can feel her emotions._

 _Yes, Mother is speaking with Mr. Wright. Fleur is with them, but she is blocking her thoughts from being read by us._

 _Mommy is crying. She must know our secret now. Her voice and heart are crying despair. Poor Mommy._

 _Mr. Wright does not cry, but I detect as much despair in him as in Mother._

 _Our very existence must be a heavy burden on them. We should… just disappear, for their sakes and ours._

 _Yes, we should…_

* * *

 **Epilogue: Two Rebirths**

 _September 9th 2029, 4:44 PM  
_ _City Dumping Ground, Incinerator Room_

He absolutely didn't wish to end this mess in this place. The foul odor of the wastes filled his nostrils, changing the air into an ocean of stench, a dissonance of filth and putrid man-made trashes. This wasn't a place where anyone would end their lives and lessen the pain of their losses.

However, none of what were previously mentioned mattered much because wastes and unbearable smells eventually became more bearable. Nothing like the sight of two limp mechanical corpses crumpled together inside a powered off incinerator to make them forget about petty things like a stinking dump. Watching the mother of the two bodies incessantly crying all her tears simply crushed the spirits of the man. It was such a miracle Phoenix managed to keep his cool before Thalassa. Maybe seven years experience of being an undefeated poker player had partially something in this. Or perhaps it was due to the latest weeks living with the kids' secret, being preyed by them, nearly meeting death and many more. Maybe today was nothing compared to the recent dark past.

Inside, his feelings were as strangled as the poor mother's, though.

"So you just push this beauty to power the incinerator an-"

"Larry!" Phoenix cut the man speaking to the mournful woman with an obvious irritation and anger in his tone. "That's not how you speak to a crying mother!"

Indeed, it was by Phoenix's request to his old friend Larry Butz, the man working in this city dump, that the two inactive siblings were put inside the deactivated furnace. Thankfully, no one had been scheduled to work during the weekend and Larry had the keys to this huge facility. Conveniently, they had easily sneaked the bodies inside without being found out by anyone else, except they had to tell Larry about this. Phoenix hadn't expected more people to learn of their sobbing adventure, but Larry was now added to the lot of acquaintances knowing their secret.

But while Larry's silly youthful spirits and state of mind were still questionable even at the age of thirty-five and being a father of a young toddler now, Larry was still a man to trust. His loyalty to his friends could be put above all his flaws.

And right now, as Larry explained to Thalassa about how to work with this monstrous furnace of hell, it was in these times Phoenix reminded himself that adulthood and parenthood didn't always mix with maturity well. Larry was still a preteen stuck in the body of a middle-aged man.

Of course, Thalassa's presence in this place couldn't be counted as odd. Phoenix had to tell her about Trucy's and Apollo's secrets and the doomed fate that had come for them, a cursed end they were condemned to sustain for the rest of their existence. After all, she was their only mother and as much as it would pain her, she had the right to learn the truth. She still remembered the day Phoenix had called her with the tragic news. She had deemed Phoenix's words as a far-reaching joke. Of course, who'd believe in such surreal sci-fi story? Her children had been turned into robots? First, the joke wasn't even funny, but then, why would Phoenix even call her with the "joke" to begin with? Not only that would simply be an insult to any parent, but that wasn't even worth paying the long-distance fee of his call to Borginia.

When she had realized it was the whole truth, her heart had nearly dropped dead after the sudden, violent speeding it had gained. There, once again, another part of her life had dwindled into a tragedy, just like it had occurred to anyone she had gotten closer with. Apollo's father, Trucy's father, her own father, the mother she never knew, her old partner Valant, Machi the orphan she wanted to call her son, her former manager... and now her two children.

And for a while, when she had returned in this country, she could only spur nonsense about how everything was all her fault, that she was a curse, a bringer of doom to all who had ever crossed path with her. Anyone she had liked and loved either had a horrid outcome or ended up behind the bars under unlucky circumstances. Phoenix was forced to cheer her with generic replies about how nothing was her fault; that it was random fate, the flow of life. Because of that, there was nothing that could be changed. Surprisingly, Phoenix's sympathy did appease her mind.

Maybe Thalassa only needed some cuddles and supports.

Thanks to both Ema's and Gumshoe's efforts of investigating Arthur's hidden basement, they had been taught how Trucy and Apollo had been remade and how the most efficient way to literally "delete" them was. Not that any other way could have been better to a non-scientific eye, but apparently, melting them in intense heat was their best offer. Crushing them was not enough as their souls could possibly remain prisoner of the remnants of their broken bodies parts.

Hence why both Phoenix and Thalassa ended up in this dumping ground, with Larry explaining the functionalities of the incinerator which still contained the intact bodies of the children. It was now time to make a decision to melt the two machines in it before anyone noticed their presence.

Not that they really had a choice.

Trucy and Apollo _must_ be destroyed, sooner or later. If caught by the law, who knew what kind of torture they will withstand…

Like Fleur had told them before, they were technically dead anyway, and destroying their mechanical bodies will only allow their souls to move to the afterlife, to free themselves from the burden of their programs. Then they will finally be able to meet the cherished ones they had lost through their lives. Perhaps Apollo was thriving to meet his best friend Clay Terran again and possibly the father he never met, or rather couldn't remember since he had been visibly too young back then. Maybe Trucy was so eager to meet her biological father who was never able to fulfil his promise to see her again one day.

"So... I just have to press this button to operate this?" Thalassa questioned the working man, trying to hide her sorrow but, evidently, she was failing at it.

"Yep, pretty much. That's where most trashes end up," Larry added until his friend Phoenix hit his arm with an elbow. Was Larry's comment about trashes necessary? Phoenix's move was not subtle at all, but it emotionally broke the attorney so much to know that the two kids will see their final hours in such hellish place. It was like if they were no better than undesired junks to be burnt or melted to nothing.

Surprisingly, Thalassa seemed to take no noticeable offense from Larry's words, but even without Athena's ears, Phoenix understood how overwhelmed her spirits were. "Thank you, you've been very helpful," she replied to him with a gulp as an attempt to stop a crying choke. "We will do this later. You can go now."

With a shrug and a sigh, Larry turned his back away from the woman, only to finally confront his old friend eyes to eyes. Anger could be spotted on Phoenix, but sadness was the most visible feature on him. Even a clueless man like Larry was able to spot it. He pitied his attorney friend, giving him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder before he slowly made his way to the exit.

"This's all I can do for you, Nick," Larry commented, now more empathic. "I hope the best for you, for that beautiful woman and for the kiddos. Good luck, man!"

Beautiful woman? It seemed Larry had been using more proper words for women now. Maybe that man had matured a bit, in the end.

With Larry gone, the two staying living things wondered about what they should do now. Of course, they should destroy the mechanical bodies, now, but it appeared none of the two humans had decided who shall start the destroying process and when they will begin. Legally, both were parents, but Thalassa won by at least a mile for having to carry them nine months each inside her once upon a time. Phoenix and Thalassa stared at each other for few long minutes in complete silence, save for their breathing. Sometimes, heavy sighs broke the rhythm of their peace.

Only Thalassa's sudden sob fully shattered their silence as soon as she casted her eyes down her children.

"W-Why did it have to end like this for them?" she screamed. Now she was clutching after the man who gladly welcomed more of her tears in his shirt. "Isn't there… another way? Like… I don't know… reprogramming them so they can live with us in peace?"

Phoenix had actually contemplated the same idea, but from what Ema taught him, it would be near impossible to decrypt the system Arthur had been using on his computers and robots to restore them the way they used to be. It might take decades, if not more, before they could reprogram the siblings. Not even Fleur could help with this matter as she was unable to find the password to access all databases and systems. It was also not possible to alter them with other known systems as Arthur's ones were fully custom.

Not that he knew exactly what that meant, the man being such a technology illiterate.

At first, he had suggested he was ready to wait years, even decades, to see the day Arthur's system will be decrypted. However, while they'd wait, the siblings will suffer each second of their existence, conscious of what was happening to them but unable to move and think properly, like mere inanimate dolls. Phoenix had almost been tempted to go with Arthur's plan to entirely reset their memories to start everything anew so they won't have to bear their past atrocities anymore. Yet, that will dehumanize them even furthermore than Arthur had already done. Manipulating their thoughts and memories at will was just the wrong thing to do and that would be diverging from the rightful truth.

That would go against the siblings' very morals.

Speaking of the robots, Fleur appeared before the crying mother, first by simply staring at her, then soon by rubbing her back on the human with a comforting purr. Phoenix had heard the raccoon's story of having lost her two kits. Perhaps the little thing was sharing her grieves with the human mother too. While Fleur still had no idea where her kits were, part of her bestial side simply let the thought of them go. After all, in the wilderness of the raccoon world, all children eventually disappear to make their own lives, never to see their parents again, right?

With a low smile, Thalassa returned the affection to the robot animal. She really needed the comfort and she was glad to mourn with another mother, even if she wasn't human. The singer glanced back at her children as she continued to pet the animal and she was unexpectedly struck by an inspirational moment.

She began a song for them.

Phoenix was unfamiliar with that song. He had listened to every Lamiroir's songs before, at least the ones released to the public thanks to both Apollo and Trucy being actual fans of her music, but this one was entirely new to him. Nevertheless, the harmony of the hums, melody and the singing drove the man into some sort of sweet dreams, Thalassa's euphonious chant sounding like pure, glittering crystals.

It suddenly struck him that he had heard the song several times years ago, when Trucy was still a little girl. She told him her mother used to sing it to her when she had nightmares and couldn't sleep. It wouldn't surprise him if Thalassa had chanted it to Apollo too when she was still his legal mother.

The lullaby sure managed to calm his spirits and he hoped the siblings enjoyed it, too.

When the song ended, Thalassa let a last sniffle emerge before she approached Phoenix with another dead smile. It almost looked like she could lose herself any time. "Phoenix, I'll do this alone," she finally decided, much to Phoenix's surprise. "You deserve to rest. You've been enduring so much all by yourselves in the latest weeks. Go rest. I was the one to give life to them. I should be the one to get rid of their lives."

Phoenix wanted to cut her sentences as she voiced her decision, because he didn't want to let her undergo the entire burden of destroying the siblings alone. If family was the reason she had more "rights to kill off" her children, he certainly didn't agree with the fact. Trucy was still his daughter. Apollo was his dear student and protégé too.

He knew, right now, that they could hear their mother, Fleur or him. And somehow, he suspected the children still favored him over their own biological parent. Yes, no one was able to deny DNA relation to argue against Thalassa's parenthood with the siblings, but nothing was sturdier than the friendship reuniting a family together.

"I won't let you do this alone," Phoenix insisted.

"No, go home."

Thalassa's response was blunt, hardly matching her perfect voice. Last time he heard her spoke in such irksome manner was when her name was still Lamiroir, during that trial of her young pianist partner Machi Tobaye. Her tone was burning with the same fervent passion when she had tried protecting the boy, and now it seemed her surging maternal instincts were fighting against Phoenix's determination.

He accepted he should leave her alone with their children. The choice for their time of death will be hers alone, it seemed.

To him, respecting her choice was right.

"Let me... tell them goodbye before... I go…" the man begged the mother.

Thalassa didn't add anything to it. Instead, she turned away from him and her children, not daring to look back. For a moment, she had never felt so juvenile, so selfish for a decision she had taken. Yes, Phoenix was as much of a father as her children's true fathers were to them, perhaps more. Apollo's father had been taken away from his son the day tragedy had called upon him. Trucy's father had left his daughter in the care of Phoenix Wright to secure his own disappearance. In the end, both Apollo and Trucy had fallen under Phoenix's responsibility. The man deserved as much as their mother to save them from their fate by destroying them in the incinerator.

Not waiting for the mother's permission, Phoenix crawled inside the huge machinery to meet the two powered off robots. He hated to call them "robots", but as he glared at their blank, half-open eyes filled with nothing but emptiness, both Trucy and Apollo didn't look like anything else than lifeless dolls, almost comparable to rejected toys gathering layers of dusts. After all, both were sitting wordlessly in this giant incinerator where trashes lasted until they were nothing but a pile of simpler elements. This was the final trip awaiting the siblings, earning the same destination as a random trash.

His trembling limbs soon caught the children. He let the sadness do the rest as he drowned his tears on them, crying over their doom and cherishing the two with more strokes on their back and hair. He wept once more before he succeeded few words. "Trucy, Apollo, I... I love you two... and that's why... we'll be submitting to your wish. We'll _kill_ you. Isn't that what you want?"

When his surrounding shifted even darker than it already was and when these accursed red locks appeared between him and the siblings, Phoenix had to block a sudden whine from escaping. He shouldn't have brought his Magatama with him, but if this will get him closer to the truth, then it was the right thing to do.

The truth was that neither Trucy nor Apollo wanted to be killed. Their souls were crying and they didn't want to leave any of them or see them leave. They were like threatening and vicious pets led to a gas chamber for having done a bad thing they weren't really aware of, or in this case, were forced to.

They didn't deserve to be killed, especially not like this, but they still led themselves to their acts that would seal their destiny as dangerous murderers, forever.

Hugging them tighter than ever between his arms, Phoenix stayed like this for long minutes. He had no desire to part ways from them, and he wished they could at least return the hug.

But inanimate objects couldn't hug back. It was common sense.

"Goodbye, kids. Goodbye, Trucy... Goodbye, Apollo..."

* * *

Close to ten o'clock at night, Thalassa still couldn't gather her courage to press the button to power the furnace.

Her maternal instincts still overdriving inside, she rather spent her time alone to narrate stories and regrets to them. She couldn't tell if her children were actually enjoying this or were simply bored of her, but unlike Phoenix, she really didn't want to know their thoughts. Speaking to them without being cut by their usual mischiefs just made her feel a little nice, though she was starting to feel lonely.

As time ticked, the more the sight of her inert children appeared casual in this incinerator, like they were becoming part of the decor. This actually horrified her. How could she see them as objects?

Only now, she realized she wanted to hear what went inside their souls, but she was unable to communicate with them and get a response by herself. She suddenly projected her sight on the raccoon robot who had been curled into a tiny ball of fur alongside Apollo and Trucy, waiting to be "deleted" too. Right now, Fleur was the only link between her and the children.

She asked Fleur if she could write down what her children were thinking. Unfortunately, the mechanical critter wasn't moving from her spot, though she did give the human mother a long glare before returning into the form of a furry ball.

Maybe the raccoon didn't want to let their thoughts know. Maybe it could be too painful for Thalassa to know.

It was time, time to lead them to their definitive death.

Clutching after the machinery that operated the incinerator, her index slowly travelled its way to the button that will power it on. She cried harder the smaller the distance between the button and the trembling finger was.

Each finally brushed against the other.

...

 _ **STOP THIS AT ONCE, MRS. GRAMARYE!**_

When Thalassa jolted high from the sudden scream still echoing in the gigantic room, her finger immediately strayed out from the ominous button, wholly cancelling the operation that never took place. Confused, she turned around to spot the source of the scream and she found herself facing two people running at her. One of them was the more familiar one responsible of this dump, Larry. However, the other young woman was unknown to her, but she knew the scream had surely come from her. She seemed to remember hearing a voice like hers few years before, though.

Larry and the woman raced toward Thalassa, relieved to see she still haven't burned the children but they appeared completely worn out from their running. They stopped before the mother to catch their breaths, with Larry speaking first.

"Huff... Huff... Glad I... still had this spare key to enter... this dump... right, Ema?" the man puffed heavily, now grinning like a silly kid.

Ema? What a surprise. Thalassa finally remembered when and where she heard that voice before. She would never forget that snackoo-eating detective working in Machi's case. So that was how she looked like.

"Yeah... that's right...!" Ema responded with another smile before she moved her stare toward the puzzled mother. "We're so glad... you still haven't let your children go!"

Thalassa raised an eyebrow at them, so baffled her tears stopped flowing. Why would the two smile at her? "Why's that?" she asked, wanting an answer.

Now that her normal breathing pace came back, Ema turned a glance at the unmoving siblings. "This's going to take a while to explain... Mrs. Gramarye, the thing is..."

* * *

 _September 12th 2029, 9:16 AM  
_ _The Siblings' Apartment, Living Room_

Clearly, Phoenix didn't want to be here.

It was such an arduous spectacle, right with this solid tangle in the chest, to see Trucy's and Apollo's apartment left the way it was just before their secret had been exposed. From where he stood, half of the living room had the usual mess Trucy would leave behind, matching the chaos that became his office and her former home. He could see the small kitchen and dining room, completely clean and devoid of any food trace. It seemed they hadn't bought any food for a while, for obvious reason.

It reminded him so much on how messy his daughter was and how tidy his student was. Together, they were the yin and the yang, the order and chaos, one needing the other to exist.

But neither Trucy nor Apollo existed anymore.

However, when he had received the text message from Thalassa very early this morning to meet with her, he wasn't sure if he should have joined her in the siblings' home, the place she had chosen. All she had typed was that he must come here to speak with her and how they should explain her children's disappearance to the authority, at least officially. But why in their apartment?

"I'm glad you came, Mr. Wright," Thalassa welcomed the man from the couch she was sitting on. "Please have a seat."

"Just call me Phoenix." His response was blunt and exhausted, but it seemed the woman was expecting this. She didn't flinch at him, especially not when he stayed on his feet instead of sitting with her.

"How were your latest days, Phoenix?"

"Could have been better. I miss the kids already. I hope leaving their fate under your hands wasn't much of a burden to you."

She remained silent on these words.

"I should have been the one to _kill_ them," Phoenix ranted on as his hands formed into shaking fists. "You're their true mother. No true parents should kill their loving children. It's just... cruel, shameful... I just... can't find an eviller word for this, you know?"

"Are you saying that I'm a shameful mother?"

How odd, ever since the beginning of their conversation, Thalassa hadn't changed her tone the slightest. Always a little sad, yet calm, motherly and firm. This caused him to tense a little. He was thankful she couldn't see through his poker face since her little genetic "power" had greatly diminished since her eyes operation. "No, what you did was admirable, Mrs. Gramarye. It made you stronger."

"Just call me Thalassa," she said with a very subtle, wry satisfaction upon imitating the man who had replied with a similar response earlier.

Phoenix sighed. Thalassa's remark was like a taste of his own medicine, basically. He finally sat down on the couch with his palms on his face. He left a very weary snort at the same time. Thalassa wasn't looking at him, though. Her eyes simply followed a random dust that floated when the man let himself sink on the couch. From Phoenix's point of view, she actually struck as... very silly.

He wouldn't judge her actions, nevertheless. She was still dealing with her kids' fate.

"All right, Thalassa. You said you wanted to speak about Trucy's and Apollo's disappearance, didn't you?" Straight to the reason why he came here. He wanted to finish this quickly, once and for all.

"Yes, I... I-I-I..."

That actually sounded like an uncontrollable sob... or maybe a weird snicker. Phoenix was questioning the woman's sanity. Laying a hand on her shoulder, he asked, "Are you all right?"

He suddenly sensed a brushing feeling down his calves and his hands instinctively went after them. His stare followed.

He gasped.

A raccoon was gripping his calves, its paws gently pulling down his pants. It started barking some bestial grunts with its glare aiming directly at the man's.

On the same time he made an abrupt bounce from his seat, Phoenix exclaimed, "Fleur!? B-But I heard you... were in that incinerator with Trucy and Apollo! H-How... how are you still..."

This time, another sound detracted his focus away from the animal. This came from Thalassa who was seemingly unable to contain a grin with more silent but audible laughs. It suddenly disturbed him. "Thalassa! W-Why are y-"

 _ **Get reeeaaadyyyyy!**_

That voice...!

A bedroom door burst out open with a very blaring noise. Phoenix didn't even have the time to register what broke out from it before two arms from behind wrapped around his shoulders, giving him a deep hug. At the same time, some confetti slowly rained from above. No way, where did these confetti come from?

Upon a quicker examination, the two arms that enveloped him were gloved with a familiar scent.

Two magician gloves...

His fingers slowly spread from each other and his hands rested on his knees, all quivering with a strange rising euphoria. His orbits shined with some optimistic sparkles as warm tears poured along softly, reflecting the morning light of this new hopeful day. He hadn't seen these gloves for a long while, a while that had lasted for what appeared an insufferable eternity.

"T-Trucy!?" the father mumbled frantically as he turned his head around to find the mysterious hugger.

A bright, happy smile welcomed him on Trucy's overjoyed face. Releasing her daddy from her grips, she glanced at him with an innocent, tiny sulk, commenting, "Huh? Don't give me these eyes, Daddy! I'm fi-"

"TRUCY!" Phoenix hollered, the mix of his call and another tight hug by himself cutting his daughter's words. His had nightmares ended in one instant, his life had been returned to him. His daughter was given back to him, at last...! It was a miracle… He let the sadness leave his soul in the shape of escaping tears.

Keeping her gentle grin over her lips, Trucy peeked back at her father, her compassionate eyes comforting the man and giving him a blissful sensation of melting into supreme joy. Phoenix had just won the jackpot, except seeing his daughter unscathed from the hell she had endured was worth a million times more than the biggest jackpot ever. Actually, no, he couldn't compare her to money. Trucy was all he needed in his life.

"Mr. Wright, don't forget about me, geez!"

Now that was a very booming voice he'd never forget, these familiar Chords of Steel. More than a month ago, he would have thought of this voice as simply annoying. Today, he was welcoming it with pure glee. When he turned to the one who had called him, the said loud one furrowed his brows at him, arms folding firmly. Standing from another door, probably his own room, the brown eyed young man finally gave him a sympathetic beam.

"A-Apollo!?" Phoenix's trembling lips called.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Wright!" Apollo hollered, lending a hand to expect a handshake, but a sudden hug from his mentor covered him instead.

"I-I'm not dreaming, am I? Everything's real!" Phoenix stuttered uncontrollably, still keeping his tangled student between his arms, crying eyes wide open.

To this, Apollo slowly faced toward his sister, his mother and the little raccoon with an shy wince, trying to free himself from the hugging man. Everyone snickered at the young man's discomfort.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix..." Thalassa couldn't hide her awful grin anymore. "It's just... a surprise we have prearranged for you... for everything you've done! That's why… I haven't told you anything about the children for days…"

"What happened!?" the man asked, releasing his student from his arms. Still clueless, he was nevertheless so ecstatic of the moment. He hadn't even had any mind the fact that the siblings' comeback was hidden from him for days, apparently. Happiness was currently overflowing too rapidly.

Another door suddenly cracked open with a familiar young red-haired woman coming out. Athena laughed along with the others, and Phoenix decided to toss all questions of the reason of her presence as he had the feeling she will graciously answer everything. "You should thank Aura for this!" Athena bragged about the genius woman who had lived with her during her childhood. "I had requested her to help us in the whole chaos since she knows about robots, but since she was still serving her sentence, Mr. Edgeworth allowed her out temporarily to use Arthur's system to help the siblings! The system was encrypted by various methods, but we hired the service of a skilled hacker of the Blue Screens Corporation to decrypt everything so Aura could restore everything! Isn't that awesome?"

"Aura said their coding isn't much different from how my mom and she conceived Ponco and Clonco, which made everything much easier! After she did some reprogramming, Apollo and Trucy were given back their old selves and their former freedom!"

His daughter and her brother... with freedom...? Their old selves back?

Shivers and exhilaration overtook his senses. His lips trembled, his hands were unable to contain themselves and his eyes sparkled with joy. He couldn't believe what had just happened. His family was not only returned to him, but they even got an extra with their humanity back. He couldn't have asked for more.

Trucy bounced before her father, balancing left and right with her usual childish smile, removing the many years she had gained over time, always making her look younger than she already was. "Athena's right!" she exclaimed. "Polly and I know we're robots now, so we can't sleep, eat and stuff, but it's all right, Daddy! At least, we still have our memories, souls and everything! We're still a family, right?"

That was right. His family, his life… How could he say "No" to his daughter? How could he resist her innocence? "Trucy…" Phoenix mildly called. "I d-don't care if you're robots… You and your brother… You'll always be my family… B-But…"

His tone had taken a more frantic shift. "Y-You're okay with it? I mean… being… non-humans…"

Smiles over the humans slowly weakened to a forced grin at the question, but it didn't stop the siblings from keeping their enjoyment over their reunion. "Of course, we are, Mr. Wright," Apollo responded with his usual snarky but stern tone. "Remember, I'm Apollo Justice and **I'M FINE**!"

"You don't have to shout, Apollo!" Phoenix retorted, covering his ears at the same time from the loud voice.

"I'm Trucy Wright and **I'M FINE**!" Trucy needed to imitate her brother. Well, like brother, like sister.

Goodness, how his ears hurt. However, he'd never been grateful to hear them back in their shenanigans.

* * *

As soon as Thalassa, Trucy and Apollo disappeared outside to have fun in their sunny morning together with their raccoon friend, Athena's mood suddenly changed. Not used to her serious self, Phoenix couldn't help but feel a little nervous. To start the conversation, he let an awkward cough out. "Obviously, you want to tell me something about them, right?" the man asked his student who retreated herself to the couch like she needed to hide from him.

"Yeah, you're right," Athena replied, avoiding her boss's glare. "I'd rather not say it whenever Trucy and Apollo are around. I don't want them to know about it."

"Why not?" Phoenix calmly objected.

Athena took a deep breath. "They don't remember everything actually."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. He wasn't sure what she meant, but he was afraid she will confirm his fears.

"It... was for their best," she added like she was hesitant to announce the news.

"They remember everything about their old lives, friends and family," Phoenix protested.

"They don't remember anything about the murders."

He froze. Athena continued. "Aura had taken the freedom to wipe out their entire memories of their murders period because they didn't do those murders on their own. This also means they don't remember anything of their times between their first awakening as robots and the moment Aura woke them up once again recently."

"Wiping out these memories also removed their conditioned rules that caused them to kill people which were the reason we had to destroy the siblings. Well, until the system security has been cracked so we could restore them to be good like before."

"Aura thought that… since they are kinda human again, maybe if they remember their murders, they might go insane again or something…"

"I mean, they tried to kill y-"

" **NO!** Don't say more…"

It was another of those moments Phoenix couldn't endure the truth, because sometimes, it pained him too much. Now, it crushed him, defeated him. However, at the same time…

How could they hide the truth away from them? Anyone deserved to know the truth. Wasn't that what all of them aimed for?

Their memories could be altered at will? No… What will happen if their memories and their system fell under the wrong hands? Will they do bad things again? Will they kill again? Will they…

"Boss, are you all right?"

Athena's call earned him a quick shook from the head. Tossing all these terrible thoughts aside, Phoenix blinked rapidly before he confronted his student who was looking at him with a worried expression. She said, "I know what you're thinking. We're depriving them of the truth, and you don't think that's okay. I know that and it makes all of us sad too, but at the same time… they never asked to become this... They suffered intensely, maybe more than all of us combined... Anyone can tell this!"

"When they woke up once again, they were actually scared… They didn't even believe Aura when she told them they were robots now. Then they thought she recreated them on purpose! She told them about an accident, then a mad engineer finding them… She never told them about the people they killed, and… I think it's for the best… I can't hear their hearts or feel their voices anymore, but just by observing them, now they're happy as their former human selves and they're finally accepting their destiny as robots…"

"Shouldn't you let their happiness last, at the very least?"

He wasn't sure what to make out of this. Letting the confusion overwhelm him furthermore only brought him more questions without answers. He realized that not only the constant conflict inside him will keep him frail in his heart and mind, but this negativity might (and will) affect others around, including his cherished daughter and her brother. Maybe he should pull himself together and be at peace, for everyone's sake.

Wandering his sight around aimlessly, his eyes finally glued to a drawn picture of the siblings where their eternal smiles shined brightly over the glassy frame surrounding it. He remembered that picture's origin quite well, coming from the talented Vera Misham, one of Apollo's most charming but oddest clients. How strange; back then, neither Apollo nor Trucy knew of their blood relation, but looking at this picture reminded him how they were already acting like siblings back in the time. He should be grinning over this framed drawing, but instead, another subtle tear streamed down gently. He gave a long, exhausted breath.

"Yes, you're right, Athena. These two deserve happiness. What they did had nothing to do with them." His voice took another shift for the worst. "But this won't give back the justice for all their victims. They will have to know the truth one day or another. The other people will have to know the truth as well. Messing with their memories might make them potentially dangerous again, and I do not want this for these kids. B-But…"

"… I guess we can allow them to keep their happiness, for the time being…"

When he eyed back the young red-haired woman, her sulk faded into a sorrowful smile. "Mr. Edgeworth said the same thing," she asserted. "You and him are kinda the same. Not surprising from two childhood friends!"

* * *

 _September 20th 2029, 6:18 PM  
_ _Wright Anything Agency, Main Office_

 _ **Polly, do you know why Daddy is so sad?**_

 _ **I cannot say, Truce.**_

 _ **You know, maybe it has to do with the missing link.**_

 _ **You are right. I feel something is missing; like something does not fit, like we forgot something, like a part of ourselves is gone.**_

 _ **Do you think it is because we are robots now? It is weird; we have accepted our condition so easily. Did they program us to accept it? Aura and Athena said we had an accident. I do not remember the accident. Are we going to be fine?**_

 _ **As long as we have our family, we will be fine.**_

 _ **That was kind of you. Thank you for being with me, Polly.**_

…

"Guys, you all should totally come to my show at the Wonder Bar tomorrow night!" Trucy exclaimed suddenly as all others, minus her brother, were filling their mouth with the given buffet.

"Oh, a magic show? I miss your magic shows!" Athena cried out after a quick, huge gulp of her food in her mouth.

The magician girl squealed over her friend's enthusiasm. "And more awesomely, it's going to be a ten percent discount for all my family and friends!"

"Shouldn't this be free for us? I mean, I'm your daddy," Phoenix criticized.

Trucy giggled. "C'mon, Daddy. We're tight with the money. I still gain a percentage from all the sold tickets, including friends' tickets!"

Apollo stepped in with his folded arms. He commented, "Truce, we're a family. Technically, you still gain the money from us, so that doesn't change anything."

The magician chirped after him. "But not from you, Polly! It's going to be free!"

The older brother jolted. "Free for me?"

"Of course!" she answered. "Because you're going to be my assistant!"

"W-What?" Apollo protested, his eyes wide in horror. "Since when did I agree to be your assistant this time?"

"Since Fleur said so!" Trucy responded with a lively beam as she turned to the furry animal curled against a corner.

"What? Fleur! Is that true?" Apollo asked the raccoon, seemingly disturbed.

A noise sounding like a snicker came off the animal's snout. " _Yes,_ " she replied with her data exchange.

" **HOLD IT!** " he objected. "Girls, t-that's just... unfair! I don't even know what I'll have to do on stage! I didn't even have the time to prepare myself properly!"

Almost annoyed by him, she reassured him, "Pfff, don't worry about it, Polly! I'll tell you everything you'll need to know with our data!"

"Hey, how unfair!" Athena grunted, crossing her arms in disagreement. "I wanna know how your tricks work!"

"Nope, a magician never reveals their secrets!" Trucy let her favorite motto known with her fists on her hips before she roamed her sight over her big brother. "Well, except to Polly because I kinda have no choice since he can read me, and Fleur too... And I guess Mommy too because she knows all my tricks... That's why Polly's gonna be my assistant!"

" **OBJECTION!** " Apollo hollered as he posed himself with his signature pointing index. "Leave me out of this! I'm a lawyer, not a magician!"

To his disappointment, even his mother took part of his sister's troubles. "You're still a Gramarye, Apollo. You have my magician genes," she said with a not very subtle grin covered by a hand.

Everyone laughed over the robot boy's misery, and soon, even Apollo was unable to contain his own smile. Phoenix chuckled along too, thinking how horribly cheesy the entire scene was. It just looked like one of these awful sitcoms moments when people faked their funny acting.

Except this time, only genuine laughter escaped everyone's mouth.

While he was still dreading of the dark future that might be waiting for the siblings, he told himself he will worry about this later. Let them live in the present and be happy and fine with the current flow of the events.

Because one day, the law will find the real culprits of the antagonists' murders. Now, the true murderers weren't even aware of their own brutal past deeds.

And somehow, he knew Trucy and Apollo were going to be fine in this.

For now, at least.

After all, each pleasure of life, tiny and ephemeral as they were, will be enjoyed to their fullest in the meanwhile.

Today, Phoenix was worried no more.

* * *

Words about the fate of the two Gramarye children had traveled around but subtly at first. Thanks to their friends and family keeping their mouth sealed with their peculiar secret, a few handful people let Apollo Justice and Trucy Wright savor their lives freely. They never questioned about their past on what led them to their theoretical eternity as emotive machines. With their help, both were able to pursue their dreams as magician and lawyer.

However, as their human friends grew older along with their changing appearance, no more they were able to hide their secrets as they were constrained to keep their juvenile look forever. Pressured one day to be revealed as two non-human mechanical beings to the rest of the world, the mass got to see them as exceptional man-made wonders. They soon started getting media attention, and with the Internet, everything spread faster than a viral online meme.

Even after years, no one ever achieved to build such perfect human androids like the siblings. Attracting the attention from the world, the siblings were forced to find shelter with their most trusted person, Phoenix Wright. Perhaps living with a true growing human being will help them keep a part of their privacy.

Unfortunately, their nightmare wouldn't end. Instead, Phoenix became a target from all as people of all kinds and origins begged to see how the two kids were conceived and how they could fully grasp of human emotions. Many were never informed the Gramarye kids used to be real, breathing humans once upon a time, prompting the mainstream to believe they came into existence from full artificial origins. Some who used to know them in their younger days believed the real Apollo and Trucy were killed at one point in their lives, and someone created two doppelgangers instead.

But whatever people believed, their faithful friends and family knew the truth and their parents will always respect them as their children.

To make it worse, it did not help when some seemingly important people started contacting Phoenix directly to get hold of the siblings solely to study them, to observe how they were made and how they behaved. Some even offered him fortunes and riches, but he would push all away. Soon, he was forced to take legal actions and he proclaimed himself as the legal "owner" of the two human robots instead of simply being a "parent". Phoenix cried for long days, claiming that the kids "belonging" to him was unethical, like a master owning slaves and possessions, but Apollo and Trucy did not mind.

They still allowed him to "own" them, because they thought it was the right thing to do, because they had thoroughly accepted their lives as non-organic possessions.

Besides, thanks to Phoenix's action, the siblings received legal protection and they could finally proceed with their lives and dreams. To them, nothing had changed, and everything was just like when they were humans.

And it brought them happiness.

…

He'll tell them the truth...

Maybe… tomorrow…

… Or the day after…

Or perhaps next weekend. He'll be free next weekend…!

Or…

… Scrap it. Whenever he'll be ready…

The End

* * *

 _ **Author's note**_ _: I had no more idea how to make a good ending out of this. I didn't know how to give Apollo and Trucy a good future, so I'll just leave it to the readers' imagination. If anyone has some ideas for happier or sadder endings, perhaps they can be shared, and maybe I'll write them! I've got few ideas for alternate endings and few suggested a trial against the siblings, but I just never got to write them (though I planned them). Or I'm just slow. Or, to tell the truth, I've kinda lost motivation for everything in general, including this fic (but now's not the time to sob online, lol). At least, it's finished!_

 _Also, kirbyfan1996 mentioned "a certain Blackquill" who could restore the siblings. And they are right. The core ending of this fic has already been planned before that review, so don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Aura. C:_

 _On a side note, I am aware Larry isn't a city dump worker at 35. He's still an artist, canonly, but this story (from the beginning until the end) had been planned before Spirit of Justice came out. Before it, no one knew what happened to Larry. Yes, I take lot of times…_

 _I know I never beg for reviews or fav/follow or anything of the sort, but_ _ **I seriously thank anyone who takes their time reading, reviewing and everything**_ _! You all rock! It's just nice to know some people read and enjoy (or not) your story!_

 _As said on the very first chapter, I partly wrote this story as an inspiration from_ _ **THE real assistant**_ _'s story called_ _ **The Living Nightmare**_ _(and also inspired by a crappy dream I had). I don't know where they went, but you should read their story too if you liked this one! I still thank you, wherever you are, for inspiring me to write this and for striving to get better in English (because English isn't my first language)!_

 _Thank you all!_


End file.
